Deceiver
by Thine Dreamer Doth Take Flight
Summary: Sequel to Inside the Fire. Eight years have passed since the fall of Dormin and the unsealing of the Forbidden Lands. Everything has been peaceful despite the migration of people there...until a person from Liliane's past comes to spoil everything.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is the sequel to the story, __**Inside the Fire**__. You do not have to read the first one, as this storyline may or may not refer to the first story. But it would be nice if you did so that you would know who the characters were. Thank you for choosing to give this story a chance. Please read on._

* * *

**Deceiver**

Chapter 1

It has been eight years since the events that transpired with Dormin, Emon, and the colossi. We have lived in the Forbidden Lands that long, surviving through the surprising climate and living off the land like we all were taught in our old village. Who are we? My sister Devin, whom was once dead because of some false prophecy but was given life again; her husband Wanderer, a warrior whom was once overdriven by his desire to bring Devin back that he nearly brought about the end of the world; Jaccen, my handsome husband whom was once a priest of Emon's but turned on that life to be with me; and I, the girl-turned-woman whom was once a priestess but became something much more when the world needed her.

My name is Liliane, and I speak with gods, colossi, and humans alike.

The Forbidden Lands are no longer as empty as they once were. With its unsealing, people have stumbled upon its existence. The bridge people used to cross to get hither fell with the death of Dormin, but two of my colossi friends with wings are more than happy to bring these people down to the ground. The other colossi are working to make another bridge to rectify this issue. Soon newcomers will be able to enter the way we came in… on a bridge that was connected to the Shrine of Worship. It was originally built to please the evil deity Dormin, hence the name, but now it just holds the Idols of Creation for the colossi. It has since been renamed the Shrine of Idols.

Thither are so many people hither now that we have our own village. We have even met people that used to live in the very village we had forsaken. Old friends followed us hither, claiming that Emon had gone crazy and they no longer wanted to deal with him and his priests' behavior. So far all those who have come had no bad ties with any of us, but I fear I may come in contact with old foes.

Devin and I have become mothers, as is only natural when people marry. Devin has given birth to a beautiful boy that she named Kaleb after our father. He has long black hair and blue eyes, and he shares more physical characteristics with Devin than Wanderer. He is only seven, but he has learned so much from Wanderer about hunting and fighting. He loves to hear the tales about how Wanderer had slain the colossi, even though Kaleb understands that colossi mean us no harm and are creatures of good intentions.

I am the mother of two daughters born on the same moon. One is named Jasel and the other is Liliza, eight years old. Jasel has shoulder-length light hair that is nearly white but has a touch of gold to it and green eyes. Liliza has pure black hair of the same length and crimson eyes. Neither her hair or eye color can be explained, but Jaccen and I agree that it must be a sign from the gods. Jasel likes to hang out with the other girls in the village and play around, but Liliza prefers to learn from written text and the colossi. I believe she will follow in my footsteps and become a witch as well while Jasel will lead a life that I could have only dreamed of.

Thither are more horses roaming the Forbidden Lands. This is due to the migration of people hither and also because of Agro and Amethyst. Agro is an ebony stallion loyal to his master Wanderer, bearing a white circle on his brow and nowhere else. Amethyst is a pure white mare loyal to me. They have grown close over the years, and she has been the mother of several foals in these past eight years. No one has trouble getting around the Forbidden Lands with all these horses. The colossi might have some difficulty, as they must watch out as to not step on one.

This is what has become of the unsealed, Dormin-less Forbidden Lands.

* * *

The sun rose on a new day, bringing with it the promise of new arrivals and the burden of performing the village's labor. I yawned and stretched, sitting up in the bed that Jaccen and I had shared for so long now. Jaccen was a fair-haired man now in his late twenties in your time, with beautiful brown eyes to match his handsome features. He was slightly taller than me, as a man ought to be, and had become very muscular during his labors in the fields. Labor had made him all the more handsomer.

He glanced up at me as I stood up, pulling on a dark blue gown with a strange design sewn onto it with blue, green, and pink thread. I had duties in this village that prevented me from doing my fair share of labor in the field, but someone had to do what I did or else no one would. I was the leader of this village due to my unusual abilities to speak with the gods and also perform miracles. This was the first time I had ever heard of a woman leading a village, but it didn't matter. It kept the peace with the colossi, whom I had befriended during the time Wanderer was slaying them. And besides, I was a very likeable person compared to others.

"Good morning, Liliane," Jaccen mumbled, yawning. "Is it just me, or did you become more beautiful overnight?"

I smiled at him as I put on my sandals. "Good morning to you, too, Jaccen. How many people do you think will be joining our village today?"

"…About fifteen. That's how many have been coming every day this past moon cycle, anyway. Soon we'll have to build more huts for people to live in or we'll run out of space," Jaccen replied.

"Then we all must start working. I shall wake the children. You should dress and head out to the fields with Wanderer," I said.

I hardly ever see Jaccen during the day, for our duties lie separate from each other. He took Jasel to the fields with him, for she was able to aid him in harvesting and tilling and any other labor such as that. Liliza, however, followed me into the Shrine of Idols or to greet newcomers, or even when I speak to the colossi.

As I stepped into the room adjoined with our own, the girls awoke. It was as if they had expected me to come at this moment and my very presence stirred them from their slumber. Jasel jumped up and ran over to me, smiling as she wrapped her sun-kissed arms around my legs. Liliza gave me a wan smile, but she made no move to follow her sister's actions. That was normal for her. She never wanted to show feelings, but no one was sure why this was.

"Mother! I'm so happy to see you!" Jasel exclaimed as I lifted her off the ground.

"As am I to see you and Liliza, my dear little Jasel. Are you ready to go out with Father?" I asked, walking over to her chest of drawers and grabbing a clean gown for her to wear.

"Yes! Yes! I can't wait to spend time with Father!" Jasel shouted.

"Dress yourself and then you may go. Father is waiting for you with your horse," I told her as I put her down again and handed her the gown. "The people are counting on you to bring in a good crop. Do not let us down, dearest Jasel."

"I shall not fail you, Mother!" Jasel yelled. She quickly threw off her nightgown and slid into her beautiful white one. It had the same strange design sewn into it, but they were barely visible with the white fabric. She looked very beautiful when she wore light colors, and she liked to be bright. She slid on her sandals, and without another word, she bolted out of the hut to meet up with Jaccen.

Liliza had already dressed herself and was standing in the doorway, waiting for me. Unlike Jasel, she never wore white. She preferred to dress in a black gown lacking any special design with simple sandals. She never liked color, but knew other people did and would criticize her for being so dark. She ignored the villagers who poked fun at her. We can see how she struggles to cope with being different. It didn't help that her skin was so pale.

"Come, Mother. It is time for us to head to the Shrine," Liliza murmured.

Without another word, the two of us walked out of our home and met with our horses. Amethyst whinnied in greeting to me as I mounted her, patting her head lightly to return her greeting. Liliza's stallion, a tan horse with a black mane and tail, nuzzled her with his nose when she approached him. She rubbed his nose affectionately before mounting him. He was a son of Agro and Amethyst that she had named Sandstone, and he was already three years of age.

We took off towards the Shrine of Idols, whither priests and priestesses performed rituals on a daily basis. I was the high priestess, a position that had been held by Emon in our old village, and Liliza was my apprentice. She could not truly be a priestess until her sixteenth year, and she was content with that. The other priests had come from villages not ruled by Emon, seeking a new place of worship, and I had allowed them to be hither under my command. I do not control them like Emon once controlled me—rather, I lead them in the rituals and in spiritual guidance.

They greeted us in front of the Shrine of Idols, a place whither I had become very familiar with ever since coming to the Forbidden Lands. We began our morning ritual to the gods, thanking them for this glorious new day and praying they bless us with plentiful harvest. Liliza was a bit slow to perform this ritual, but would not say why.

"Something terrible will happen hither on this sunrise," was all she would mutter.

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"Something terrible will happen to you, Mother, on this sunrise. I know not what it is or when it shall happen. I just…have this feeling…" Liliza whispered.

"Perhaps you should go home and rest. I shall send a healer to you and…"

"No, Mother. I ail not. All I possess is an ill feeling of future events. Allow me to continue our routine," Liliza said.

Reluctantly, I let her stay as I prayed to the gods whom had granted me the strength to kill Dormin eight years ago. It was the same prayer I murmured every morning and every evening…Grant me the strength to make this village strong, bless the people and keep them safe, allow us to live in peace and health as long as we are loyal to you. Silently I added another thought into the prayer.

_Please let my daughter's feeling be nothing. I desire not to have something terrible transcend on me and leave my family and my village in ruins. If you cannot do so, at least allow it to be something trivial. Please...I beg of you._

Thither was the sound of something large running outside as I finished my prayer. One of my priests came to my side and informed me that one of my colossus friends was waiting with an urgent message. Liliza and I walked back outside to meet this colossus. It was one slightly larger than a full-grown horse with a head resembling a lion and hooves, made mostly of stone. His blue eyes were warm and cheerful as he looked upon us.

"Greetings, Lionheart," I stated, smiling at him. "What news do you bring?"

"_High Priestess Liliane, I bring news of more newcomers. Freelancer and Gryffindor are waiting for you to come and meet with them,"_ Lionheart reported. _"Climb up, and I shall get you and your daughter thither in no time."_

I helped Liliza climb onto Lionheart's back before climbing on myself. He took off faster than any horse could ever go, and if this was the first time for anyone, they would have been thrown off easily. But this wasn't the first time for either me or Liliza, so we remained on him, clutching his stony body in order to stay whither we were. He made light conversation with Liliza while he transported us to the flying colossi, mostly conversing about how children were nowadays. He had a lot of room to speak—he and his mate Melanine had had three children. I was too busy contemplating Liliza's words to speak with Lionheart, but he was used to that.

I should take this time to explain what I appear to look to the eye. I am taller than most other women in our village, but that is only due to the fact that I inherited most of my father's traits. I have golden hair that has grown back out to touch the small of my back and green eyes. I used to be as tan as Jasel, if not tanner, but have become pale with my new duties as high priestess and leader of a village. Liliza is still much paler than I. People say I am very beautiful, but I am not one who wants to look at herself and judge her own appearance. The men of our village like to look at me, but understand that I belong to Jaccen and no one else. I suppose they stare because I am filled out in a certain area, but in the words of your people, whatever.

We came to an area whither two winged colossi lie, waiting to take off. One resembled a very large bat with a very long tall, fur running from the tip of his tail to the ends of his wings and on the top of his head. The other was similar to a dragon and much larger than his bat partner, with two pairs of huge wings and fur lining his entire back. They both looked at us as Lionheart came to a halt in front of them.

"How many this time?" I asked as Liliza and I dismounted Lionheart.

"_Twenty adults. And they claim to all come from the village you used to live in," _the bat colossus stated. _"They are wearing the same garments you wore when we first met you, so I would assume they are speaking the truth."_

"_Gryffindor's right. They are the same people as you. They bring more horses and livestock such as cattle and sheep, along with their own personal possessions. Thither are even a couple of warriors among them. None look like your brute husband, though. You are safe from harm,"_ the dragon one told us.

"Have you looked to see if any other people are coming?" I inquired.

"_Thither is a group of Egyptian-looking people coming, but they will not be hither until nightfall. Even the Egyptians come hither looking for peace. Liliane, you have left an impression on the world with your new village," _Freelancer remarked.

"_They shall write your name in the annals of history one day,"_ Gryffindor agreed.

"_And when I look at that, I'll smile and say, 'I knew her; look how far she came.' But that's only because I'll still be alive at that time,"_ Lionheart put in.

I smiled but then grew serious once more. "Take me up, Gryffindor. We shall greet these newcomers from my old village before we frighten them with Freelancer's presence. Let us face it. Compared to you, Freelancer is a monster in size. He may cause these people to turn around and run back home."

The colossi chuckled a little—it was mostly on Lionheart's end. Gryffindor allowed me to climb upon his back, whither I sat near his wings because sitting on his extremely long tail would have been weird. Liliza stayed on the ground, for she usually came up with Freelancer to aid the newcomers in calming their animals as they loaded their supplies onto the larger colossi's back. She was much better at calming animals than any other human alive besides me with the aid of my magic.

Gryffindor flapped his wings a few times before lifting us off the ground. We flew straight up the side of the cliff/mountain whither the people were waiting for a means to get down. When they saw us, some people screamed and backed up with their livestock, but then they saw a human on the back of such a terrifying creature and were too curious to run away.

"Greetings, newcomers. I am Liliane, leader and high priestess of the Forbidden Lands. If you truly come from the village dominated by the rule of Emon and his priests, then you should know who I am. I used to live thither nearly ten sun cycles ago, and if I know Emon, he is perhaps still cursing my name. If any of you recognize me, speak now or forever hold your peace."

A few voices were raised and I recognized some of their faces. One female refused to look my way, but it didn't really faze me.

"My friend hither, the one whom is flying, is a colossus named Gryffindor. He and his kind mean us no harm. They have lived hither for far longer than us and they are the reason life exists on these lands. They are our friends and live peacefully among us. Do not be frightened when you see one, even if it is as tall as a mountain. They will not harm you or your livestock.

"If you desire to live in these lands free of Emon's rule, another large colossus will be up to collect you and your possessions. If you do not believe you could live hither, you are free to turn around and return to that village. The choice is completely up to you, my fellow people. I can only wish your life will improve under Emon's rule…But the only possible way for that to happen is for him to pass away. So…If you want to live with us, please have all women and children join me on Gryffindor's back. I would prefer to bring them down first for safety reasons."

No one turned around to leave. The women and children slowly came towards Gryffindor, fear still shining in their eyes as they were not used to being around creatures so much larger than them. I helped them to climb on and told them to hold onto the fur. The same woman wouldn't look at me nor would she raise her face. She kept her son close and walked as far back on Gryffindor as she could without being on the tail. Thither was a total of seven women and fifteen children, leaving thirteen men to load their possessions onto the back of Freelancer when he flew up thither.

Gryffindor slowly descended to the ground as to not frighten the women and the children. As she saw us lower to the ground, Liliza told Freelancer to rise to get the men and their stuff. The women bit their tongues to keep from screaming upon seeing the dragon colossi fly up towards the men, but the children seemed more awestruck than scared.

Other women whom had been newcomers but had adjusted to life beside colossi waited for us as we landed on solid ground. They helped the children and women down and began to explain things to them in order to get them used to this life. The one woman avoided me and was swallowed up with her son by the crowd of women. One of those who were explaining things was my sister Devin. She was very pale despite laboring in the fields and had long black hair and dark eyes. She was shorter than me and never really hungered or grew tired anymore. We believed this was a side effect of being dead. The woman avoided her as well.

Some of the men who were supposed to be laboring in the fields came to help the newcomer men unload their possessions when Freelancer brought them down. One of those men was Wanderer. He was a foreigner in our old village, but now we're all foreigners. He was pale, but not as pale as Devin, and had shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes. He was slightly shorter than me, but that was due to his origins. He was older than the rest of us, but his strength was just as strong.

Freelancer came down, back covered with cattle, horses, sheep, men, and wagons full of things brought from home. Our men moved in to help unload, a bonding moment for the newcomers and the villagers. Liliza slid off of Freelancer's back and came to join me as I watched everyone become acquainted with one another. Her face was expressionless as usual, crimson eyes taking in every face in that crowd.

"Well, well. Looks like the freak actually got somewhere in life."

I tensed upon hearing these words. I knew that voice oh too well. It had haunted me in my dreams when I was a little girl, for the owner of the voice had attempted to kill me many times just because I was different. I turned around to face this person again. It was the woman who had refused to look at me earlier, and her son was standing right beside her as she insulted me.

Her name was Kasara. She had once been a part of a group whom lived to cause me pain. That group consisted of her and four boys that used to ambush me outside of my home and throw stones at me and tie a noose around my neck. The years had been good to her; her long brown hair had grown more beautiful and her sinister light blue eyes still shined in an attractive fashion. She was a head shorter than me and it was completely obvious that she was a woman and a mother. But her evil hadn't left her with maturity and motherhood. She still condoned me for being different after all these years.

"Hello…Kasara," I grumbled, trying to keep calm in front of my daughter. "Whither are your ambush buddies, or have you gone solo?"

"My _friends_ remain in the village because they are loyal to Emon. Only one has come hither and that is because he is my husband and the father of Lukos," Kasara stated, referring to her son who looked like a male version of her. "I came hither because I heard this place was decent, but apparently I heard wrong. No place can be decent if you live thither. All it can be is full of freaks like you."

"Watch your tongue, Kasara. You do not want to enrage me. The last person that did so is now dead," I warned. It was true; Dormin was the last person to enrage me, and now They were dead.

Kasara rolled her eyes in disbelief before they fell upon Liliza. She sneered. "Is _this_ your daughter? What the hell? She looks nothing like you or your husband from Emon's village or the runaway priest that just had to save your ass! She must be more of a freak than you! Or you cheated on your husbands and she's really someone else's kid! Your whole entire family is screwed up!"

Lukos looked ashamed to be her son as she began to laugh about my daughter. Liliza was usually good at keeping her feelings hidden, but now she was crying about such insults that Kasara was spewing out. I was more than enraged as I watched her poke fun at a child and couldn't stop myself from punching her in the face. The force was so great that she fell on her ass. This action was witnessed by Jaccen, Devin, and Wanderer, who came rushing over to stop me before I could really hurt Kasara. Jasel just stood thither with wide eyes. She had never seen her mother be violent.

"Liliane! What is the matter?" Wanderer demanded.

"That woman was insulting Liliza and me! It's Kasara! I could not allow it!" I hissed, glaring at her as she staggered to her feet.

Wanderer and Devin were well aware of my connection to Kasara, for she was the reason I had met Wanderer, and Devin was my sister so she knew everything. They glared at her and her husband, who had come over to see if his wife was all right. The only member of that family who was spared from the angry look was Lukos, who could not be blamed for the faults of his parents.

So let the war begin.

* * *

_So let the war begin._

_You're far from innocent._

_Hell, I just don't know where it will end._

_You are the one to blame._

_You've made a habit of sucking up my life._

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_A/N: What did you think? Is this sequel worth continuing? If you think so, please tell me. Thank you for reading, and please forgive me if I don't update very quickly. The song lyrics are for the song __**Deceiver **__by Disturbed._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks to the two people who reviewed. You are awesome; thank you so much. Let us read on and discover what is happening next._

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Chapter 2

As much as I desired to ban Kasara and her family from the village, I could not bring myself to do that to her son, Lukos. He could not be blamed for the faults of his parents. So I reluctantly allowed them to come into the Forbidden Lands, putting only one restriction upon them. If Kasara or her husband ever came near me and my family, they would be punished severely.

This was the first time I had ever banned someone from coming close to my family. All the others who had ever traveled hither had been decent and had no bad roots. But Kasara …She was more than bad. She was evil. I knew that if I wasn't careful she could try to kill me like she had in the past. Or worse…She could try to kill Jasel or Liliza. In this fear for their lives, I went to the colossi for protection.

Well, to be completely honest about which colossi I went to…It was Lionheart and his family. His mate, Melanine, was a colossus whose head resembled a boar with claws instead of hooves, was made mostly of stone, and was the same size as her lover. They had three children before Wanderer and I had come to the Forbidden Lands, and their children's names were Mistclaw, Coldheart, and Windwhisper. Mistclaw was like a deer, with the head of a doe and hooves. Coldheart was like a wolf in all ways, possessing claws whither his sister did not. Windwhisper had a head similar to his father's, but unlike his siblings he had claws on his front legs and hooves on his hind legs, along with a long and thin stone tail. Years ago, when I first met them, they were no bigger than wolves and Mistclaw and Coldheart's fur was exposed. But now, stone armor had covered their vitals and all of them had grown to become half the size of their parents.

Lionheart knew very well about why I was visiting, as he had been present when Kasara had insulted not just me, but my eight-year-old daughter. He was just as unhappy about the matter as I was, and Melanine felt the same. The children, now in their between years, didn't really know how to react upon hearing this news.

"I fear what Kasara is capable of. I haven't paid heed to her since I was sixteen…Whither I became a priestess apprentice to that damned Emon. She could have grown more powerful, more dangerous since I left the village. And her husband's no better, I assume. Who is to know whether or not she can do magic herself? We never know with her type until they catch you offguard, and I don't want to risk the safety of my family. Jaccen can handle himself and I'll be just fine. But Liliza and Jasel…They're only children. I need someone to watch after them when I cannot," I explained.

"_We would be delighted to protect the young ones, High Priestess Liliane. Unfortunately, we have our own duties in this village," _Melanine said. _"But I'm sure that our children would be willing to help you. And if they're not, a little persuasion can always be applied to make them willing."_

"_No persuasion necessary, Mother. I shall protect Liliza from danger with my life,"_ Mistclaw remarked boldly.

"_And I shall protect Jasel from this horrible woman,"_ Windwhisper stated calmly.

Coldheart growled but otherwise remained silent. He was sulking in the corner, for he had a great dislike of humans due to what Wanderer did eight years ago. That was the killing of all colossi…Including his parents. Nothing, not even me bringing them back from the dead, could sway his feelings of my kind.

"_Coldheart, aren't you going to do anything?"_ Lionheart asked, glaring at his wolf son.

"_No. The problems of humans should not be dealt with by us. Humans can suffer through their own problems and figure them out all by themselves. If it ends with the death of one, who gives a damn? Thither are plenty of those vermin desecrating the surface of this planet as it is. I say, go Kasara. Kill all the humans you want. Then kill yourself so thither won't be any humans left to kill the world,"_ Coldheart muttered, eyes blazing orange as they usually did when I came around.

"_Coldheart! How dare you speak that way about Liliane's daughters! How dare you speak that way about all humans! If it had not been for Liliane, your mother and I would still be dead! Would you want that? Did you like it when we were dead?"_ Lionheart demanded, sounding rougher than was usual for him.

"_Of course not! But it wasn't that bitch that brought you back! It was the gods and all the fallen colossi's power that gave you life once more! All the power was just channeled through her weak vermin body because thither was no other way to kill Dormin and bring you back to us! She was just a gate! Humans don't matter!"_ Coldheart roared, standing to face his father. Both the wolf colossus and the older lion colossus had fiery orange eyes, and I feared they might start fighting.

"_Watch your tongue, Coldheart! Or I might be forced to ask a favor of the High Priestess to turn you into the very thing you despise! I will ask her to make you human until you learn to respect the creatures we live with! Thither will be no way out of it if you keep this behavior up, and I'm sure your mother will agree with me on this!" _Lionheart hissed.

Melanine nodded once. _"I give Liliane my permission to make him human if his behavior towards their kind does not change."_

"_It'd better change! I cannot live with a brother who hates the innocent just because that accursed deity Dormin made an honest man kill our kind! I can't stand it anymore!" _Mistclaw exclaimed, stamping her feet in frustration.

Windwhisper just quietly looked at his brother with nothing but questions in his eyes.

"_No threat will ever get me to change my opinion of humans! They should all perish! They kill the earth by taking its resources in order to make weapons and their homes and wagons for travel! In the future, these vermin will be the reason the earth gives out! They'll pollute our waters and choke the life out of the animals and plants and the air shall be un-breathable! Humans are the real monsters! So go ahead, turn me human! I'll just grab one of their weapons made by their raping of the earth and kill as many of those bastards as I can! The only way you'll stop me is by killing me yourself!"_ Coldheart shouted, stomping his feet even harder than his sister had. The Temple of the Flame Guardian shook violently from the force caused by his anger.

"No…You shall not be allowed to hold a weapon. If you so much as go to harm a human besides Kasara and her husband, then you shall receive pain of which you have never felt before. And if you go to hurt either of those people, it will only be allowed if they pose a threat to the village," I stated, ready to make Lionheart and Melanine's punishment come true as I was also tired of his hateful words towards my kind. "Lionheart, may I go through with your threat now? I tire of your son's angry words towards me."

Lionheart gave a small nod and with that I began to chant an incantation that even I could not understand. Coldheart's eyes shifted colors from orange to red, something that no colossus's eyes had ever done. He charged towards me, intent on being the end of me, but someone moved in his way and knocked him backwards. That someone was Windwhisper, the strongest of the three colossi children. Coldheart tried again, but then Mistclaw batted him back into a wall. Lionheart and Melanine looked ready to jump in if Coldheart managed to bypass his siblings. It appeared that everyone was on my side.

"_...Liliane...You bitch...I shall hate you forever for doing this to me,"_ Coldheart growled, eyes still red as a white light enveloped him.

"I suppose I will just have to live with that," I murmured, finished with my spell.

When the light faded away, what stood whither Coldheart was wasn't a colossus anymore. It was a young boy, around the age of fourteen, with unusually pale skin and shaggy brown hair that fell around his shoulders. His hair covered his eyes, but anyone could still see that they were still crimson behind that curtain of brown. He stood just a head shorter than me, wearing the garb of men from my old village, glaring at everyone present as if they were disgusting worms.

"What you all have done is treason against the colossi race," Coldheart grumbled, his voice cold and laced with hatred.

"What you have said could be considered treason to our village," I shot back. "Consider this atonement for your crime. If I was to be serious about your offense, I could have your head. But your family loves you, I have befriended your family, and therefore I shall spare you. You'd best watch yourself, Cold. Your next offense may not be taken so lightly."

"_Lightly_? You call _this_ lightly? You bitch! I'm going to put an end to this right now, once and for all! Kasara can thank me for this later!" Coldheart roared, charging at me an in attempt to cause me harm.

Before he could lay a hand on me, a wave of unbearable pain came over him, causing him to collapse to the ground. He cried out in agony—never before had he felt such a pain. I had given him fair warning before turning him human. It was his own fault for not listening to me and the others.

"Mistclaw, please take your brother to the Shrine of Idols. Liliza is thither and she will know what to do about him. Windwhisper, Jasel is in the fields with Jaccen and she should be safe from harm as long as she is with him. But to be on the side of caution, I would appreciate it if you would watch over them. Thank you for offering your services to my family. I will repay you someday, I promise."

Mistclaw carefully lifted her now-human brother off the ground with her mouth and ran off. Windwhisper looked at me with questioning blue eyes, as if he wasn't sure this was the best way to stop Coldheart from hating humans. But then he ran off to find Jasel and watch over her. I bid Lionheart and Melanine farewell, promising that this would not be a waste of time and Coldheart would return to them better than ever.

* * *

My next visit was to an ancient city that had once been thriving, but even with the recent population growth in the Forbidden Lands, it remained human-less. The only creature that dwelled hither was an ape-like colossus with hoofed feet named Aslar. He, just like Lionheart, had a mate, but she wasn't around on this day. Her name was Sleneyn—she had no real animal resemblance, but she wore armor of stone and had a stone arm more than half the length of her body. They once had a son many years before I had come hither, but he had died because he realized not what strength he had and caused a rockslide upon himself. Then thither was the incident with Wanderer slaying them. When they came back, they had decided to try again. They had a daughter with a head similar to an elephant only lacking a long trunk and with hoofed feet just like her father. She had stone armor and a longish arm, but otherwise she had fur showing. They named her Xenia. She was born five years ago and lived with her mother in seclusion whither she could be protected.

He sensed me coming long before I reached the city. This was due to a mental connection we had made during the slaying of his kind. He and Faelin, another colossus, were the last of their kind left, and all the death had taken a major toll on me. I had almost fallen into a pit of despair of which no one could escape, but Aslar reached out with his mind and saved me. Ever since, thither has always been a little connection between us that can never go away, no matter what we try.

"_Ah, the High Priestess descends from her throne to visit an old friend. What a pleasure it is...Or isn't. You only come when you wish to acquire something from me. What is it this time, Liliane?" _Aslar asked, his voice husky just like a warrior.

"Oh come now, Aslar. I come to visit you on terms other than business. And I do not have a throne. I've no royal blood in me, neither do I consider myself better than anyone else in the Forbidden Lands. Your words have no truth within them," I remarked.

"_True. But I can sense that thither is an important matter that you want to discuss that deals with a certain colossus that is son of Lionheart,"_ Aslar stated, looking down at me.

"Yes, that is correct. Coldheart has gone too far with his words and I fear his hatred of my kind could lead to him attacking the village. You know what shall happen if he does, do you not?"

Aslar nodded. _"People will begin to fear our kind and see us as a threat. Then we shall be hunted once more, and they shall trust you no longer. Coldheart would have no remorse about the whole thing. He would just use it as an excuse to kill your kind. So what have you done about it, Liliane?"_

"With his parents' consent, I have turned him human. This shall last until he stops hating my kind, and for everyone's protection, I have also used magical precautions so that if he even tries to hurt a human, he shall experience pain only felt in the most horrid of nightmares. But I fear that this punishment will do nothing for him; he will only view it as torture. I need your assistance, Aslar. I turned you human once. I need to do it again so that you can explain things to Coldheart. After all, you yourself were not very fond of humans because of Wanderer. So, shall you help an old friend?" I inquired.

"_Of course I will. The safety of the colossi and yourself may depend on it. My only fear is that my feelings for you may be aroused like they were the last time you made me human. I would not like that. I am with Sleneyn and am content with her,"_ Aslar said.

"I am sure that those feelings were only due to you feeling lonely. Now prepare yourself. You are about to become much smaller."

I did the same spell I had done earlier to Coldheart, only I had to use much more energy to do it because Aslar was so much larger than the little wolf colossus. A white light enveloped him, and his light-covered form shrank down to the size of a man.

Aslar had taken the form of a young man with long black hair that could obscure his face. His eyes were still blue, but they were not as magnificent as they were when he was a colossus. They were still beautiful, however. His body was built like that of a warrior or hunter, and he was still taller than I was, just not taller than a mountain as well. His sword, which he had carried around in his right hand as an ape colossus, had changed with him, turning into a normal metal sword. His clothes had been transformed into that of a warrior from my old village, resembling what Wanderer himself wore. As for his skin tone, he was just as pale as Coldheart had become.

He scowled and glared at me, and from our connection I could tell what that meant.

"Damn it, Liliane! It wasn't just a farce! Those damn feelings are back!" Aslar exclaimed, looking absolutely angry with this realization.

"I am sorry about that. Perhaps you can put those feelings aside and focus on the task I have set before you. We must travel to the Shrine of Idols whither Coldheart is resting so that you can begin your duty. Thank you for doing this for me, Aslar. Perhaps…If we succeed, I can grant you and Sleneyn something," I offered.

"I would like that very much, High Priestess," Aslar murmured. "…We're going to teleport again, aren't we?"

I smiled mischievously at him. "I just know how much you like that way of travel. Besides, I left Amethyst at home and walking would take too long. This is much faster."

Groaning and mentally cursing me, Aslar slipped his hands into mine as I chanted the incantation necessary for teleportation. I closed my eyes to focus on whither we were going and nothing else—I was trying to forget what being human did to Aslar. If I let my mind wander it could jeopardize both of our families. Besides, we were nothing more than friends. I loved Jaccen with all my heart. Always had, always would. Just as Aslar would always love Sleneyn.

We came to whither we desired to go…The Shrine of Idols. Coldheart was lying on the altar that had been Devin's resting place in death, and he was still trembling in pain. The priests whom served the gods beside me were still within the Shrine's walls, even though their services and prayers must have been finished already. Perhaps they were curious as to why a colossus had brought a human into the Shrine…A human with crimson eyes like my daughter at that. Their curious gaze turned to Aslar and I with our appearance, and I assumed I knew what their eyes were presuming about the situation. Liliza was among them—Mistclaw was watching her from outside as the girl tended to easing Coldheart's pain.

"High Priestess, why did one of the colossi bring a boy into hither? And why do his eyes look like your daughter's? And why did you bring another man into the Shrine of Idols?" an Egyptian priest asked, speaking for the whole group present.

"…That boy is a colossus who needs to learn that humans are not horrible. I cannot answer why his eyes have turned crimson; it is the first time a colossus's eyes have ever done so. And as to whom I am with…This is the mighty Aslar. He is hither to help Coldheart learn," I told them.

"…You…You can turn colossi human?" a priestess from a distant land inquired.

"…Yes. But I shall return them to what they really are, for no creature should become something they're not. It's inhumane and wrong. I wouldn't do it even if it were possible. And it requires too much energy to try and turn all of the colossi human," I replied.

"Shall we leave Coldheart in the care of Aslar, Mother? He is in great pain—it ails him greatly. I know not if he could walk out of hither. I do not think he could even stand with all this pain he is trembling with," Liliza put in, glancing up from the boy who really wasn't a human boy.

"The pain will cease soon. Aslar…He can…take care of him," I whispered. The use of so much magic had finally taken its toll on my body. I was exhausted and found myself swaying. Aslar wrapped his arm around me so I wouldn't fall and hurt myself. "I should get home now…In this state…I'm no good to anyone. Excuse me for the day, friends. I must rest…Forgive me."

"I'll take her home," a young priestess, no older than sixteen, offered. She had come shortly after nightfall on the night that Kasara had appeared; she was Egyptian. I had taken an immediate liking to her and treated her as if she was a part of my family.

Aslar let go of me only when he was sure the priestess had a firm hold on me. She helped me out of the Shrine of Idols and towards the hut I called home. I kept apologizing for putting this burden upon her, but she just brushed it off as nothing.

"High Priestess, I must tell you something. That woman you have restricted from coming near your family…The one who attempted to kill you in the past when you were but a child…It was the right thing to do. I sense evil within her…A powerful evil fueled by insanity and false beliefs…And another source I cannot quite put my finger on. But keeping her in the village might prove to be a mistake. With an evil as powerful as hers, thither is nothing she won't do to see your end," the girl said. "Or that of young Liliza and dearest Jasel or even Jaccen."

"I shall protect my family from her, and the colossi whom care about us will watch over us as well. If she steps outside of her boundaries, she won't escape without severe consequences," I stated.

We entered my home, thinking it was a safe place and we would be able to go our separate ways afterwards. Everything seemed fine. Nothing screamed danger or looked deadly. We thought we were safe.

But we were wrong.

Terribly and dreadfully wrong.

Thither was a flash of brown and before I knew it, the young priestess was dead. I steadied myself against the doorway as I stared at the woman with a bloody knife standing in front of me, an evil gleam in her light blue eyes.

"Shall I finish what Wanderer stopped me from doing all those years ago, Freak?"

Darkness enveloped me before I could react.

* * *

Coldheart felt the pain subside and managed to sit up. He was still in the Shrine of Idols, as Liliane had just left. Her daughter, the girl with black hair and crimson eyes that everyone was calling Liliza, stood at his side with Aslar. Her magic had been used to try and cure his pain, but he knew that even her magic couldn't really stop what her mother had done to him. He hated the girl just like he hated all humans. But he couldn't stop himself from thinking that hating one who was trying to help him was wrong.

The other priests and priestesses were dispersing at last—so many humans in the same room as him was driving him crazy. His traitor sister Mistclaw snuck in after they had all left, as it was now her duty to protect Liliza. She disregarded his angry glare and stood by Aslar and Liliza, explaining briefly why she was thither. He would have given anything at that moment to turn colossus and attack her at that moment, but he knew that was impossible.

"Coldheart, you must come with me. I have much I must teach you about those you despise so much, the humans that I had once hated," Aslar remarked as Liliza helped the older boy to stand.

"Why must I? It's not like Liliane's ever going to change me back. Stupid humans never keep their word. They're all liars," Coldheart proclaimed, crossing his arms.

"Now we're not that bad. Sure, some of us are horrible brutes, but people like me aren't liars or stupid or anything like that. Must you be so hard on us for the choices of a few people?" Liliza asked.

"…I…" Coldheart trailed off, unable to finish that statement because Liliza didn't deserve to hear it.

"Aslar…Sir, may I join you and Coldheart? I desire not to be in seclusion while Mother rests," Liliza said.

"No. If you come, Mistclaw must come and I don't want to see her at the moment," Coldheart stated.

"I am sorry, Liliza. This is something we must do alone. Perhaps you can find your sister or visit another of our kind. We shall meet again later, young one," Aslar promised. "Now run along."

Reluctantly, Liliza climbed onto Mistclaw's back and ran off. Coldheart found himself staring after her without really meaning to.

"…Being human has odd effects on those who weren't born that way," Aslar told him suddenly, causing Coldheart to fluster as he was both embarrassed and angry to be caught staring after a human girl. "When I was first turned human, I felt things for Liliane. And unfortunately, they have returned. It appears to be the same with you, only you like her daughter. All I have to say about that is…Don't pursue her until she is older. You are technically only four years older than her, but in human form you have turned fourteen and it would be wrong even in our society."

"…I wouldn't pursue her, anyway," Coldheart muttered.

Aslar and Coldheart were about to leave the Shrine of Idols when a powerful magic forced itself into the older man's head. He stumbled a bit and would have fallen had Coldheart not been quick enough to steady him. The magical force was weakening by the second and it seemed as if the life of she who sent it was fading. He knew who it was—he had become familiar with her over the years and her connection to him made her most recognizable. She thought no words but the wave of pain and fading of life was enough information for him to get the message. He drew his sword and ran out of the Shrine without looking back at Coldheart.

"Aslar! What is it?" Coldheart demanded, running after the colossus-turned-man.

"It's Liliane! She's in trouble!" Aslar yelled. "We must act swiftly! Find Mistclaw and get her to send a call out to Lionheart! And do it quickly!"

Without a moment's hesitation even though he didn't like who was dying, Coldheart ran off towards the fields to find his sister…and Liliza.

This was just another fantasy in the world that they lived in…Right?

* * *

_Another fantasy is laid in front of me._

_Now I just don't know what to believe._

_Another animal sent to devour_

_Whatever's left in sight._

* * *

_A/N: Well, there's the second chapter. What did you think? I know it's getting a bit weird, but bear with me. Tell me what you think please, and thank you for reading._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. Here's the next chapter. Please read on._

* * *

Chapter 3

I bit my tongue to keep from screaming as Kasara stabbed her blade into me. I had moved just the slightest bit and caused her to miss my heart, but the pain was unbearable and the end result would still be the same. I would just die a lot slower. Blood spilled from the wound, staining the ground with its crimson tears and mingling with the blood of the Egyptian priestess she had just slain. The evil look in Kasara's eyes never left her as she yanked the blade out of me. She was just evil—no good existed in her.

She kicked me so that I fell to my knees. I coughed and blood came out of my mouth. Kasara sneered down at me, enjoying the fact that I would die slowly at her feet instead of quickly like her first kill. She continued to kick me for a few moments until that bored her. Then she decided to use words as weapons.

"The world will be a better place without you and your family of freaks to tarnish it. You were never good for anyone, what with your rebellious behavior of not following tradition and snapping at Lord Emon and learning to fight when that's a man's job. Perhaps you should have been born a man. You don't act like a girl, and you barely look like a girl. The gods sure screwed you up. And no one likes you, anyway. Not the people who serve you, not the man who warms your bed, not the colossi, not anyone. You live with a lie around you. How does that make you feel, Freak?" Kasara taunted, whispering the words into my ear while I coughed up more blood.

Without a real motive, Kasara stabbed her bloodied blade into me again, this time getting me in the stomach. She didn't pull her blade out right away—instead, she dragged her blade across so that thither was a large, deep gash on my abdomen. I couldn't stop myself from screaming then, and tears poured from my eyes as I thought about the possibility of this being the end. Kasara smirked sinisterly as she violently yanked her weapon out of me and grabbed my face with her blood-covered hand, caressing me gently despite her hatred, which was ironic.

"Don't cry, Freak. Your family will join you soon enough. The underworld will treat you very well. Thither you will have an eternity of torment. That would fit you so well, now wouldn't it?" With that, Kasara laughed and struck me in the face. I fell to the ground, lying thither as blood poured like water from me.

I heard someone screaming my name, but had not the strength to see who it was. Kasara swore and stepped over my body to run. The sound of an arrow whizzing through the air met my ears, and I saw the arrow embed itself within Kasara's arm. She hissed in pain, but that didn't stop her from fleeing. She was gone before anyone could catch her.

Two people rushed over to my side. With their faces right over me, I could finally see who had come to save me. Aslar and Wanderer knelt beside me, the man with a bow still in his hand and the colossus-turned-man with his sword at the ready. Both dropped their weapons when they saw all the blood I was losing. Aslar ripped off part of his shirt and began wrapping my wounds, applying as much pressure as he could in order to halt my bleeding. I felt the strange warmth of his skin and found it oddly comforting during this time of dying.

"Liliane! What happened?" Wanderer demanded.

"…She…caught us offguard…Killed the girl…Now I will be gone…" I gasped. Talking was very difficult when one was about to die.

"Kasara! I should have known she would have come after Liliane!" Aslar growled as he tied the cloth around my wounds. Blood was already starting to seep through, but he couldn't do any more to stop it. "Liliane! Listen to me! You can't die! We'll get you to Faelin! She can heal you, for she has that ability! You just have to hold on until we can get you to the Storm, okay? Don't go towards the light!" He grasped my hand tightly, his burning hot skin against my cooling skin.

"…Don't know…if I can, Aslar…," I mumbled, vision blurring. "…Getting…dark…"

"Damn it, Liliane! If you die on me now, I'm going to have to hurt you!" Aslar roared.

I gave him a strained smile. "…Can't stop death…"

"Sure I can! Watch me!" He focused on our mental connection and forced some of his life energy into me, giving me the strength to live on for a little longer. But the blood loss and the force of his energy caused me to slip into unconsciousness. He lost his breath because of the exertion, but otherwise he was fine. Aslar turned to Wanderer and said, "We must hurry. Even with me lending my life to her, we are short on time. We must get Faelin to come hither, for it would take us too long to get to the Storm. But I have no connection to the colossi in this form. How are we to reach her?"

"The better question is…How are we to catch Kasara before she strikes another of Liliane's blood?" Wanderer asked.

"I sent Coldheart to find his sister and alert her of danger. She will call out to Lionheart, and he will track her down. She will not escape her crimes without punishment. I swear it," Aslar told the warrior bitterly. "Now if only I had told Coldheart to alert Faelin that healing might be necessary. I wasn't thinking about anything but saving Liliane when I sent the boy away…It was foolish of me."

"You were just lucky I crossed paths with you while you were running this way. Otherwise, Kasara would have been harder to find. The blood trail should make it easier. I only wished I would have killed her with the arrow instead of just injuring her," Wanderer muttered.

"_What is going on hither?"_

Wanderer and Aslar glanced up to see Gryffindor flying overhead. He had been attracted by Liliane's screaming when she had been cut across the abdomen and had come to find the source of the noise. His blue eyes noticed the body of the high priestess lying before the two men, but he didn't jump to conclusions.

"Gryffindor, Liliane was attacked by Kasara. She is dying, and you must call out to Faelin before it is too late," Aslar informed the bat colossus. "We don't have much time. Already her life is fading even with my life energy in her. And this whole village would fall apart if she passes. Will you help us?"

"_Of course I will, Aslar. Why would I do otherwise?"_ Gryffindor inquired rhetorically. He fell silent for a few seconds as he sent a mental message out to the leader of the colossi. _"Thither. She is informed and on her way. Faelin will be hither within moments."_

"Let's hope that she'll get hither quick enough," Wanderer murmured as he grasped Liliane's other hand.

* * *

Coldheart rushed into the fields whither the humans labored to bring in food for the village, dodging and weaving through the people as he searched for his sister. He needed her or his brother to relay Aslar's message, for as a human he was no longer connected to his kind. All the other humans gave him odd glances, probably because they hadn't seen him before and were curious as to whom he was, but he paid them no heed. The only human he would be slightly interested in finding would be Liliza, and so far he hadn't seen her.

Then he spotted the black-haired girl clad in a black gown standing next to a blonde girl wearing white. They were complete opposites, but they seemed to be getting along well. To their left side was a fair-haired man and to their right were Mistclaw and Windwhisper. Coldheart quickened his pace and ran over to them, swearing as he felt himself become short of breath faster than ever before.

Liliza was the first to notice him. She cocked her head to the side as she laid eyes upon him, probably wondering why he was thither and not with Aslar. He stopped in front of the group and caught his breath as he was tired from all the running. Being human made him feel weak and out of shape.

"Coldheart? What are you doing hither?" Liliza asked when his breathing was back to normal.

"That's Coldheart? I thought he was a colossus, not a human," the blonde said, clueless.

"He is, Jasel, but Mother turned him human to teach him a lesson," Liliza explained.

"Oh. Okay."

"Liliane's been attacked, probably by Kasara. Aslar has gone to save her, but he told me to find my sister and tell her to call our father," Coldheart stated.

"WHAT?" the man exclaimed, outraged. He was obviously Liliane's husband. He dropped his scythe that he had been using to cut the plants in the fields and turned to face Coldheart. "My wife has been attacked by Kasara?"

The colossus-turned-boy nodded once. Jaccen swore many times before picking up the scythe again. He said something about using it to kill the woman the next time he saw her, and that took the children by surprise. Apparently, they had never seen their father act so violently. Then again, their mother had never been in danger, so this was all going to be new to them.

"_Jaccen, you shouldn't go after her. Not alone, at least. She hates anyone who shares Liliane's blood, and although you are of no relations to her, you are her husband. Kasara will try to kill you as well," _Windwhisper pointed out when the man looked ready to leave the fields and hunt down the woman. _"Allow me to go out in search of her. Mistclaw will protect you and your children should the monster turn up hither. Father will be around to help us search for her as well. She will not get away with this crime, I promise. I'll die before she gets away with this."_

"_I've already told Father of the situation. He is pissed and ready to hunt," _Mistclaw remarked. _"Hurry to join him, Wind, or thither won't be anything left of Kasara for you to destroy."_

The young lion colossus took off from the fields to meet up with Lionheart, leaving behind him a broken family, a colossus, and a boy who was supposed to be a colossus. Jasel was weeping loudly, and Jaccen forgot his anger to comfort her. Liliza had tears running down her face, but she made no sound which was probably why Jaccen didn't notice her crying. Coldheart noticed, however. And he didn't like to see her cry.

The other men who had been laboring in the fields had heard everything and pitied the family. They stopped their work, and those among them that were priests joined in prayer for their high priestess and village leader. They didn't offer their condolences directly to the grieving family; they left them alone as they prayed. Mistclaw stood guard over them just in case Kasara showed her face.

When Liliza's tears became too much for Coldheart to take anymore even with the fact that she was human, he came over to her side and pulled her into a tight embrace. At first, she was surprised by his sudden show of emotions. But then she just let him hold her as she made the front of his shirt wet with salty tears. They lowered themselves into the seated position and just sat thither for what seemed like forever, with every second feeling heavier as they were aware a life of someone close to them was fading away. And for the first time in his life, Coldheart didn't want Liliane to die, for he knew how painful that would be for Liliza if her death came. Thither would be more tears to shed and more sadness to pass around. Liliza would never be the same.

And that thought brought tears to Coldheart's eyes.

"…Your eyes aren't crimson anymore…," Liliza whimpered suddenly.

"What do you mean? I thought human eyes couldn't change color," Coldheart said.

Liliza pulled a bronze mirror from her pocket and held it in shaky hands so Coldheart could see what she meant. Just as she had said, his eyes were no longer blazing crimson fire. They had changed to calm blue oceans with water flowing from them. It was amazing how one girl could make even his most inner anger fade away. She put the mirror away again and gave him a small smile to show how proud she was that he was conquering his hate of humans. He squeezed her tightly as they cried together.

Devin and Kaleb wandered over to Jaccen and Jasel. The dark-haired boy didn't seem to understand why his cousins were crying or why his uncle, one of the strongest people he knew, was acting like a girl. Devin knew, as she had heard everything herself, and she too was crying. Jaccen saw her and they exchanged glances while Kaleb tried to pry Jasel away from her father. The girl wouldn't let go.

"Jasel, let's go play! Everyone hither is too gloomy! Let's leave 'em!" the seven-year-old proclaimed, pulling on the hem of her dress.

"No, Kaleb! I'm not going to play ever again!" Jasel shouted, startling the boy so much that he let go of her dress and fell on his backside.

"…Why…Why not?" Kaleb asked.

"Are you stupid or something? My mother is dying! Without her, thither is no happiness in me, no desire to play, no anything! So leave me alone!" Jasel screamed before burying her face in Jaccen's chest again.

Kaleb just sat thither, the seriousness of the situation still not sinking into his childish mind. Devin sighed and took the boy in her arms, saying she would explain everything to him and keep him from bugging his cousins. Coldheart hadn't expected little Jasel to blow up, but then again she had just learned that her mother was dying, so why wouldn't she be frustrated with the boy? At least Liliza wasn't like that.

Liliza was the quiet one whom he cared too much for.

And he didn't mind that one bit.

* * *

Faelin came just as Liliane's spirit began slipping from her body. Wanderer had abandoned holding her hand because he had no powers that could keep his friend alive and had let Aslar hold her. The colossus-turned-man was sweating from all the energy he was exerting to keep Liliane's spirit inside of her body, but he couldn't try any harder or he would be the one dying. Wanderer was so worried about his friend that he almost couldn't think of anything but her death. Gryffindor had taken him to the air in an attempt to keep Wanderer's mind off of the girl. It only halfway succeeded.

The appearance of Faelin brought new hope. Aslar smiled when he saw her, but it was strained as he was still fighting the will of the gods to keep Liliane on earth. The leader of the colossi seemed to understand that thither wasn't much time, as she quickly grabbed both Aslar and Liliane and began to chant her ancient spells of healing.

They were all just lucky that Faelin was mobile again. Had they needed her healing powers eight years ago, they would have had to go to her. Her bonds to Dormin had made her immobile during that time, but with Their death she had been granted the ability to move once more.

Aslar held Liliane's hands tightly as he waited for Faelin's magic to take affect. Thither was so much of the woman's blood on him that he knew the crimson tears would probably never leave him so long as he was human. His once pale hands were now completely crimson, as the substance had easily seeped through his makeshift bandages and had stained him with its color. Even so, he held onto the first human he had ever loved, disliking how cold she felt against his skin because people only became that cold when they were about to pass into the heavens or the underworld.

He watched hopefully as the stab wound on Liliane's chest began to disappear, healing at a rate that was kind of slow but still sufficient to stop the bleeding. It took a little longer for the huge gash on her abdomen to heal, but it faded until thither was no trace of it, not even a scar. What blood she had lost that was still on her body magically seeped back into her body, making happiness and hope rise inside of Aslar.

He felt her life energy become stronger and smiled with joy as the spirit of Liliane decided to remain within its mortal shell. He yelled to Wanderer, who was still on the back of Gryffindor, that Liliane would live. The brunette man smiled, glad his friend would not be passing away after all. The colossi had saved her life. But how long would it be until she opened her eyes again? And how long would it be until her life was in jeopardy again? Surely Kasara would strike once she found out Liliane still lived. Would Liliane be strong enough to face that woman alone when that time came?

Gryffindor landed on the ground at the same time that Faelin put Aslar down. He was still holding Liliane in his arms, proving that she was still unconscious, which had been expected. He met Wanderer on the ground as the man climbed down the bat colossus, for thither were things he needed to say.

"Liliane will be unconscious for perhaps another day or so. I will put her in her bed and send for Devin to change her out of her bloody clothing. I must retrieve Coldheart and do as Liliane told me before the attack, but I will be able to stand guard over your friend when night falls, as will Lionheart and his family. If you wish, I will ask Gryffindor to call out to Lionheart and you may go searching for Kasara with him," Aslar offered. "I would do that myself, but as I've said, I must deal with Coldheart."

"I appreciate the offer, but I have my own duties. I must let Jaccen, Jasel, and Liliza know their mother is alive, as they have perhaps been informed by Coldheart that she was dying and I would hate for them to start making unnecessary funeral plans," Wanderer told him. "Gryffindor can take care of watching over Liliane while we are gone."

"_And what of the dead priestess? What shall we do about her?"_ Gryffindor asked.

In all the panic of losing Liliane, they had all forgotten the dead Egyptian priestess lying on the floor of Liliane's home. Wanderer went into the hut and came out carrying the dead girl, wondering if he should be the one to inform her family of her untimely death.

"_I will take her to her people. No doubt they will want to plan her funeral themselves. You are all busy, so allow me to help you once more," _Faelin suggested, extending her stone hand to take the Egyptian girl. Wanderer reluctantly handed the body over. With her held carefully in Faelin's grasp, the female colossus turned and headed for the fields to deliver the girl to the Egyptians.

"We are both heading the same way, so why don't we take Agro to get thither?" Wanderer asked before whistling. The black stallion came to his side immediately, ready to serve his master.

"…That is kind of you, Wanderer. Just give me a moment. I must put Liliane down," Aslar murmured. He went into her home and laid her on the bed she shared with Jaccen. He caressed her face with the back of his hand once, careful not to get a lot of blood on her, before leaving the hut. Wanderer stood outside of it, but he had in his arms clean clothing for Aslar to wear.

"We wouldn't want to show you off with all that blood on you, or everyone might think you're the one who tried to kill Liliane," Wanderer remarked. "Head down to the lake over yonder and get yourself clean. I'll bring these to you shortly."

Sighing, Aslar took off for the lake that Wanderer mentioned. Being human had its consequences. But he didn't mind as long as he got to be with Liliane…Even if it was just for a little bit.

And he knew now that his feelings weren't a lie.

* * *

_I know now._

_It's all been a lie,_

_And I'll never come to know why._

_A woe to discover_

_You leaving me now._

_It's all been a lie._

_I don't ever want to know why._

_You've mastered the art of_

_Deceiving me now._

* * *

_A/N: End of chapter. What did you think? Please tell me. Thank you for reading._


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. Here is another chapter just in time for the holidays! Enjoy, and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! Please read on!_

* * *

Chapter 4

Aslar, now clean of blood and in fresh clothing, rode behind Wanderer on the back of Agro as the horse led them to the fields. Thither was a great mood change in the usually happy harvesting area, the consequence of the high priestess's near-death and a priestess's death. The colossus-turned-man could see the Egyptians had separated themselves from the others and were mourning the death of the girl who had just come the previous night. Faelin was still thither—she was sitting on a mountainside beside the Egyptians. The dead girl he couldn't see, for the priests were performing the things necessary for someone of their culture to move into the afterlife, the things that came before the actual mummification.

Farther down in the fields, the family of Liliane along with two of Lionheart's offspring, were sitting with tears still fresh in their eyes. Aslar assumed Faelin had not told them that Liliane would live, though he was not sure why. Perhaps she had left it up to Wanderer, or she had been overcome by the Egyptians and hadn't had a chance to speak to the family yet. Either way, it would be told soon enough to relieve their grief.

It didn't surprise Aslar to see Coldheart comforting Liliza. The powerful influence of humanity had made his heart beat for the first human girl to treat him with compassion, and thither was no fighting it. Aslar would have to scold him a bit for not heeding his advice about not pursuing her until she was older, but he knew that if he had seen Liliane crying, he probably would have done the same thing.

The group glanced up when Agro was upon them, nothing but sadness reflecting in their eyes. Mistclaw was the only one not shedding tears, but that was only because she had too much on her mind to cry. She had to protect them in case Kasara appeared. If she let her mind stray for even a second, it might mean the death of someone. So wise and brave was she of only twelve years of age.

Aslar dismounted as soon as Agro halted in his gallop and approached Coldheart. The boy turned red when he saw his teacher and remembered he was holding Liliza, and Aslar couldn't help but smile at that. Coldheart let go of Liliza and they both hurried to their feet, as did the rest of the family. Wanderer quickly appeared at Aslar's side, his face as solemn as ever. The colossus-turned-man had never seen the warrior ever truly happy, even when he was in the company of his beloved. He wondered why that was, but couldn't question him about it at the moment.

"My kin, I have an urgent message for you all," Wanderer said. Thither was no sound in the fields, for everyone, even those that were not a part of their family, was listening to hear the fate of their leader and high priestess. "Liliane has been healed and her heart still beats. Her spirit remains within mortal bonds. Your mother, your wife, your leader lives."

Those who were not a part of the family cheered and rejoiced over this, but they were not as loud as they could have been. Death may have escaped the high priestess, but death had still struck their people. So their noise was kept low to respect she who had died. As for Jaccen, Jasel, and Liliza, they blinked in surprise before joy took over their expressions. Jaccen picked up Jasel and swung her around in his happiness while Liliza just smiled, an odd feature on the face of someone like her. Coldheart actually seemed content to hear that she who cursed him to be human was still alive. Mistclaw was unable to give an expression, but she hummed with pleasure from the news.

"How is she?" one of the people in the fields asked.

"Can we see her?" inquired another.

"When will she be able to return to her duties?" another wanted to know.

"What will be done about the assailant who attempted to kill her?" another demanded.

When the bombardment of questions became too much for Wanderer, Mistclaw roared to silence them. The brunette man silently thanked her before proceeding to answer their questions to the best of his ability.

"You must understand, the injuries our beloved High Priestess received were not ones people recover from easily. Most people would die from such inflictions. The only reason Liliane still lives is because of Faelin's healing powers and Aslar's persistence. He gave her some of his life energy to keep her alive long enough for Faelin to reach her. Right now, she is unconscious and may remain so for a day or so. Until she awakens and regains her strength, she will be unable to attend to her duties. As for the fate of Kasara, you have my word that she won't get away with what she has done. Not only did she attempt to kill our leader, High Priestess Liliane, but she took the life of a stranger, a girl who was barely out of her childhood. The penalty for such crimes is death, and I assure you, that is what Kasara will face when she is caught," Wanderer told them.

"As we speak, Lionheart and Windwhisper are tracking her down. This will be easy, for before she could harm Liliane any more, I shot her with an arrow. Unfortunately, my aim was slightly off and only her arm was injured. But the blood will provide a potent trail for the colossi to follow. They will find her, capture her, and bring her hither to be dealt with. The way in which she will die will be chosen by Liliane and one representative from the Egyptians among us, as it is only fair they get a say in what becomes of the monster who slew one of their people. She won't get an honorable burial—her body will be left for the birds to feast on and the elements to corrupt. This will be the case no matter how she dies. She will be forgotten as all monsters are forgotten, and we will go on with our lives.

"Until Liliane recovers, Jaccen will take her place in the Shrine of Idols and I shall lead the village. Things will go on as normal, only we might have the protection of a handful of colossi in case Kasara decides to attack the innocent and unknown again. Be cautious, and if you see her, run and find one of us. She will be dealt with. Now, return to your lives as best you can."

Satisfied with Wanderer's speech, the group dispersed to return to what they had been doing before the awful news about Liliane had been spoken. The Egyptians had finished what they had been doing to the dead priestess, Aslar noticed, and now they moved aside to reveal a sarcophagus just big enough to hold her and a few precious items they believed she would need in the afterlife. A couple of dark-skinned men lifted the sarcophagus off the group and followed a priest that would show them whither to bury her.

Devin and Kaleb came over to the group, smiles on both of their faces. Wanderer smiled softly as he took his son from Devin's arms and held him despite Kaleb's age.

"I'm glad to hear my sister still lives. And what you said really made the villagers believe that everything will turn out as it should in the end," Devin murmured, clasping her pallid hands in front of her. "But I cannot help but fear that things are far from over. What about her son and husband? Will they aid her in her unholy quest?"

"That they won't."

Devin looked over her shoulder to see Kasara's husband, one of the boys who had tormented Liliane as a child, with his son. He looked remorseful and angry at the same time, but thither was no clue as to whither the emotions were directed. Lukos just looked ashamed like he usually did when things involved his mother.

"How are we to believe you? You and Kasara were among the group that attempted to slew Liliane as a child," Jaccen remarked, though his voice wasn't angry or accusing.

"I've moved on from the past. I mean no harm to her now. She has grown up to be different than we once thought she would be and has not ruined our village. The only corrupt one thither was the windbag Emon himself," the man grumbled. "Kasara just doesn't let things go. When she found out Liliane had fled the village to the Forbidden Lands, she wanted to go thither as well. Her reasoning was she needed to 'keep an eye on the freak so she couldn't corrupt the rest of the world.' I refused for so long, but she managed to convince me this year. And by convinced, I mean tricked. Gods, I hate that woman."

"If you hated her, why did you marry her and have a son with her?" Devin asked.

"To be honest, I have no clue. Just one day she looked at me and I was hers, regardless of what I really wanted. Eight years ago, Lukos was born. I don't hate my son. He's my flesh and blood. But Kasara…I despise her. She's more wicked than Emon ever was," the man claimed.

"We've never been properly introduced. I am Wanderer. This is my wife Devin, her brother-in-law Jaccen, and his daughters Jasel and Liliza. I am sorry we were so prejudice of you before, friend," Wanderer said, extending a hand to Kasara's husband.

"You are forgiven. I am Richard, and I will do whatever it takes to bring Kasara to justice," the man stated.

Jasel peered over at Lukos, studying the boy without letting him see her, for she was standing behind her father. Pleased with what she saw, she jumped out and grabbed his hand, startling him. She smiled and exclaimed, "I like you, Lukos! Let's be friends!"

Lukos looked a bit startled by her request. "…B-But my mother just…"

"Awww, that doesn't matter to us. The problems of our parents aren't the problems of us. Besides, your mother will get what's coming to her, and then thither will be no issues between our families," Jasel pointed out. "Now come on! Let's go play! All this adult talk is boring me! Kaleb can come, too!"

Aslar watched as Kaleb and Jasel ran, the girl pulling Lukos along, and smiled to himself. It was odd how the children of bitter rivals could become friends so quickly. The only child to remain in the area was Liliza, for she was not like ordinary children. Already she took to duties adults usually did. She was in too much of a hurry to grow up.

"Coldheart, we must leave now. Thither are things I must teach you that must be taught without the ears of others nearby," Aslar remarked.

The boy came to his side after whispering goodbye to Liliza. They left the fields so Coldheart could learn to completely disregard his hatred for humans and so they would no longer interfere with the happenings of the humans.

"Devin, Liliane lies in bloody clothing. Aslar and I would have changed that, but it would have been inappropriate. Seeing as you are her sister, will you go back to her home on Agro and take care of her?" Wanderer inquired.

"Of course, Wanderer. Of course," Devin murmured.

Before she could leave, a group of six warriors from the Egyptian people approached the group. Richard silently excused himself, saying he would go watch the children with Mistclaw because he knew he didn't belong thither any longer, and walked away. Liliza followed him, for Mistclaw was her protection and she had to go whither she went. The lead warrior pounded his left arm against his chest once and held it thither.

"Wanderer," the warrior said, his tongue unused to the language he was speaking.

"Yes, what is it you want of me?" Wanderer wanted to know.

"The girl who died because of Kasara's insanity…Her name was Teana. She was a respected priestess for her age, and she would have wanted her High Priestess to remain unharmed. Our leader, the one who led us to the Forbidden Lands, has decided it best if we protected High Priestess Liliane from any more harm. We understand the colossus Lionheart will be doing the same, but we still feel it necessary to guard her. Will you allow us, the Six Guardians of Teana, to protect her?"

"…If that is the wish of your people, then so be it. You can accompany Devin back to the hut in which she rests," Wanderer replied.

"Thank you, Wanderer Mountainslayer. You will not regret this," the lead warrior muttered. He hit his chest with his left hand again, and Wanderer copied his action to be respectful. Then the warriors set out on horseback with Devin and they rode off for the main part of the village.

* * *

Aslar led Coldheart to a cliff overlooking a huge waterfall. This area was close to the dwelling of Corleon, another colossus that had immense trouble moving even without Dormin's curse on him, but it would provide a suitable place for them to converse. The walk had been somewhat long in terms of man—if they had been colossi, it would have seemed to be a short distance. Coldheart was breathless by the time he reached their destination, but Aslar was indifferent. He was breathing hard, and that was all. The only thing that could really knock the air out of him was fighting to keep Liliane alive.

He gave the shaggy-haired boy a chance to catch his breath, for it would not make sense to begin teaching him when he could not speak properly. While he waited, Aslar's mind drifted to Kasara. Anger rose within him as he thought of what she had done to Liliane, but it wasn't just directed at her. It was directed at himself as well.

_I should have known that Kasara wouldn't be civil. Letting that priestess take her home was the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life. It nearly cost Liliane her life, and the priestess lost her life because of my foolishness, too. I should have gone home with her. Kasara wouldn't have been able to slay me. I'm a colossus and she's nothing but a human. I could have crushed her even in this form. I could have saved Liliane before she had a chance to stab her in the chest. And Kasara would be dead,_ Aslar thought, his hands clenched into fists as he thought about what could have happened.

Coldheart noticed the dark-haired man's tension and wondered what exactly he was thinking of. He had his guess, but he didn't want to voice it. Aslar realized he was being watched and instantly lost his anger. It was time to become serious so Coldheart would learn to like all humans, not just Liliza.

"Do you know what it means to be human?" Aslar asked as the boy joined him at his side. It was not a rhetorical question.

"…Being human means to be destructive. Being human is to be greedy. You want to possess everything you see, and you do not care what becomes of the ground you desecrate by fulfilling your greed. You destroy to gain. Hatred is a great emotion when you are human. If another has something you don't and that you want that thing but cannot have it, you get angry and hate that person. Being human…is to feel every negative emotion thither is," Coldheart replied.

"That is true for some, but I do not think you can apply that to the whole human race," Aslar remarked. "How would you describe Liliza?"

"…Liliza is a kind human. Silent, compassionate, strong, knowledgeable, willing to give things up for the good of others, comes off as shy…But she also has her negative feelings. Inside her, she withholds the feelings of loneliness, sadness, depression, a feeling that she doesn't belong," Coldheart said.

"But would you say she is greedy, destructive, and hateful?" Aslar inquired.

"…No," Coldheart muttered.

"Humans are not all bad. They are just like colossi. We both love. We both hate. We both are happy. We both are sad or angry. Our feelings are the same. Colossi have been known to be destructive. That was how one of our rivers formed. Lionheart became infuriated by a human and destroyed a portion of a mountain that was beside a large body of water. And we can also be greedy. Crostatine used to collect all the gemstones in this area just for the mere purpose of owning them. And as for hatred…Well, you would know all about colossi hating people, now wouldn't you?" Aslar stated.

Coldheart felt ashamed of that and glanced down at the ground. Aslar knew he was starting to get through to the boy and that it was thanks to Liliza that they were making this much progress already. It was then he noticed that Coldheart's eyes were no longer crimson; they were as blue as they should have always been. Aslar believed that was Liliza's doing, too.

"…So you're saying that hating humans…would be like hating colossi," Coldheart concluded.

"That is what I am saying," Aslar agreed.

"Now that I understand that my hatred is wrong, will Liliane turn me back?" Coldheart want to know.

Aslar shook his head. "It's one thing to know your hate is wrong, but another thing to conquer it. We must get you used to being around their kind. That is part of the process. You are going to be stuck in human form for quite some time, young man. You'd better get used to it."

Coldheart groaned, but then a smirk came onto his face. "At least I'm not the only one."

"Yeah, that's true. We're both going to have to suffer."

* * *

Devin closed the bedroom door behind her so she could have privacy from the six Egyptian guards. She braced herself to look upon the body of her sister, a girl who shouldn't have survived the attack by all mortal standards but did because she had friends that weren't mortal. Devin half-expected to see Liliane covered in cuts and blood and to look beaten up, but when she finally got the nerve to look, she was surprised to find that the only sign Liliane had almost died were her blood-soaked clothes.

The dark-haired woman went over to the chest of drawers whither Liliane kept her gowns, careful not to step in the pool of blood that showed the spot whither Teana had been slain. She would have to clean that spot before Liliane woke up, which would be easy because the floors were stone. She lifted her sister's limp body off the bed, glad to discover no blood had seeped onto the sheets, and removed the bloodied gown from her body. She put on her a white dress similar to what Devin had worn in eternal sleep.

_...Is this what I looked like when I was dead?_ Devin wondered as she finished her job and laid Liliane back onto the bed. Somehow, the dress made the blonde look paler and sicklier than she had ever appeared. It could make one think she was dead and not merely unconscious. _Why must all bad things happen to our family? It's almost as if the whole world wants a fixer from sucking our blood. We must be cursed, Liliane._

* * *

_Another enemy has been revealed to me_

_How come I wasn't able to see_

_Another vampire getting a fixer_

_Around sucking up my life?_

* * *

_A/N: End of chapter. What did you think? Please tell me. Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful holiday season!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I really need to crack down on my stories...Sorry I take forever on these chapters. So many things steal my mind away from my typing...Forgive me. Here is another chapter for you to read. Please enjoy._

* * *

Chapter 5

Night fell on the Forbidden Lands, casting a dark and unwelcoming shadow over the grief-torn village. The Guards of Teana stood outside the home of Liliane and her family, ready to lay down their lives if it meant Kasara would do no more harm to the village's leader. Aslar and Coldheart were making to join them with Jaccen, Liliza, Jasel, and Mistclaw. Devin watched them come with a small smile. None of them were hurt and Kasara was not around as far as she could tell. She prayed nothing horrible would become them this night.

She bade the family farewell as she mounted Agro. Jaccen thanked her for staying with Liliane, a mixture of emotions on his face. Of all the people thither, Devin was most worried about him. But she couldn't stay just because she was worried about her brother-in-law. Wanderer and Kaleb would be expecting her. So she rode off, leaving him behind with his pain.

Aslar and Coldheart drew their weapons—amazingly, the spell preventing Coldheart from doing so wasn't working—and took their places among the guards. They let the family inside before closing the door and making it impossible for anyone to enter without permission. Jaccen helped the girls to bed before walking towards his own bed, whither his unconscious wife laid pale as death.

He sighed, disrobing himself before climbing into the side of the bed she wasn't on. The darkness helped to mask her condition from him, but in his heart he knew she was in trouble. If the colossi couldn't hunt down Kasara and she somehow managed to get past the Guards of Teana, they were all dead. He would fight to the death if it came down to it, but if she could get the better of his wife, what chance did he stand with just a blade? Liliane had magic, and that didn't help her. Then again, from what he had heard, it seemed she was drained of her energy due to performing too many powerful spells so closely together. Perhaps that was what got her in the end.

Jaccen closed his eyes. Sleep evaded him. His mind was too busy, too full of worries and thoughts to allow sleep to come. He couldn't exactly blame it for being so. With all that had happened that day, like the death of Teana and the attack on his wife, he would have to be crazy in order to not have a restless mind. But sleep was a warrior's ally. If he didn't rest up and Kasara attacked the next morning, he would be dead. He had to sleep.

_I was better off as a priest than a fighter and laborer,_ Jaccen thought morosely.

Before he and Liliane had been man and wife, more than ten years ago, he had been a loyal priest in the service of Lord Emon, dictator of their old village. Liliane had been one as well, but she was more rebellious than a priestess should have been, unwilling to follow all the rituals Emon made them do. He had liked her back then, but was too shy to admit it. Priests were supposed to be innocent and unmarried.

Then Devin had been killed to thwart some stupid prophecy. Wanderer came to him asking for information on the ancient deity Dormin, who was said to be the controller of the spirit realm. Liliane no longer came to the rituals and prayers of the priests, and he missed her but understood why she refused to come. He aided Wanderer in finding the Forbidden Lands by looking at ancient maps and scrolls, and this information eventually led the man to take the sacred sword and leave the village to find Dormin. Liliane found out and nearly beat Jaccen half to death to find out whither Wanderer was going. He gave her the information and she would have set right out after her friend had she not needed a map in case she lost him.

Because of that delay, Liliane was stuck in the village long enough for Emon to marry her to a brute warrior twice her age with twice her anger problems. He watched from a distance as she suffered at his hands and wondered how many bruises that monster had given her or how many times he had raped her because she didn't want to do that stuff with him. He would have intervened, but he wouldn't have lasted a minute against the warrior, and Emon would have scorned him. So he just kept silent and drew the map as quickly as he could so she could leave.

Thus started the adventures in the Forbidden Lands for Liliane and Wanderer.

But during the two years they were separated, life was not easy for Jaccen. Emon found out that he had aided in Liliane and Wanderer's leaving and had the information beaten from him. He hadn't broken as easily as he thought he might. Not a single one of Emon's priests could whip it from him. Then Emon called upon the brute warrior, who had a strong right arm, and he whipped so hard, Jaccen often slipped into unconsciousness from the blows. After a few weeks of this, Jaccen told all about the Forbidden Lands and Wanderer's quest.

Jaccen was let go after that, but he was no longer considered part of the brotherhood. He had to wait some time for his wounds to heal before he could ride a horse. The fair-haired man wasn't about to let Emon go after Liliane to hurt her and return her to the monster the dictator had forced her to marry. So he drew up another map, healed, and stole a horse as soon as he got word that Emon was going to set out for the Forbidden Lands.

He traveled for days on end without resting, giving him an advantage over Emon and his priest-warriors. His horse nearly collapsed under him sometimes, but it never died. Jaccen knew his limits and pressed them as often as he could without killing himself or his ride. What drove him so far so fast? His desire to see Liliane again, of course. To save her from the people behind him, too.

As soon as he reached the Shrine of Worship as it was then called and got out of it, he followed a trail of hoof prints that just happened to lead to a cliff sloping down to a shallow pond. He traveled down thither alone, leaving his horse to run wherever it wanted. Liliane and Amethyst just happened to be down thither, and to his amazement, the blonde woman as she now was had just cut her beautifully long hair.

When she saw him, she was just as happy as he was. Something in her eyes seemed to know he was going to be thither, but he paid that no heed. She told him everything that had happened with Dormin and the colossi and how Wanderer had become the Hunter in his desire to bring Devin back…Everything. He listened and tried to be comforting. Somehow that ended up exchanging emotions and…engaging in…actions.

Thus Liliane and Jaccen were together.

They had been inseparable ever since that night. Not even the combined might of Emon and the all-powerful Dormin could separate them. But even so, Liliane had always been the one holding them together so he wouldn't fly away…She was the strong one. Hell, she was the one that had channeled the powers of the gods, the colossi, and herself to kill Dormin and resurrect Wanderer. She was the strongest person in the world, the only person blessed enough to use a Triforce powerful enough to kill a former god.

But it seemed that those most blessed were also those most cursed.

_Liliane, I wish I could take away all your pain, all the curses this world has put on you, and just make your life the most wonderful thing you've ever experienced,_ Jaccen thought. _All these things you've been through, all this pain and loss and destruction...Our training as priests tells us that they are just tests to see if you're worthy of continuing with your life. But they're not. They were never tests. They were just terrible events that fate made you face. Fate needs to grant you more luck, more happiness. I just hope I can bring you that happiness...so you do not run to another man...or another creature...for that..._

* * *

Windwhisper and Lionheart charged together, the smell of blood in their noses as they followed the trail Kasara had left thanks to Wanderer's arrow. She had gone farther than they had first thought, and it was then they decided she had magic on her side. The witch would be the only person besides Liliane that they knew who used the black arts. How good she was at using it…They were unsure. But she was throwing them for a loop right now, so she couldn't have been an amateur.

The younger lion colossus turned on hooves and claws when the scent took on another direction. His father had already turned and was a little further ahead of him. This was due to the older colossus's desire to make Kasara pay for what she had done to Liliane. Lionheart's loyalty to Liliane was unquestionable. So Windwhisper would follow in his father's footsteps, as he was most like Lionheart and cared a lot for the girl who had cared for him and his siblings during the bleak days when their parents were dead.

"Damn! Whither is that murderous witch?" Lionheart growled, speaking in the dialect of the colossi and not of the humans. Windwhisper could tell he was getting impatient.

He didn't answer, as he knew the question was rhetorical. But their hunting seemed hopeless to the both of them. They had agreed earlier that if they couldn't locate her by the time the moon was at a certain position in the sky, they would head for Liliane's hut and call it a night. Lionheart was just hoping they would get to take home Kasara's head as a trophy.

Windwhisper heard an eerie melody to his right. It sounded to be about four miles away in that direction. He knew it might be a trap, but if the song was Kasara's doing, it might help them to capture or kill her. Even magic couldn't kill colossi. Only the sacred blue sword could puncture the vitals of his kind, and that sword had been lost when Emon had sealed the lands again. Luckily, Liliane had broken his seal. But the sword had remained lost even after that.

"Father, I hear something," Windwhisper murmured, changing his course as he spoke. "It sounds like singing. It could be Kasara chanting a spell of some kind."

"You heard that, too? And hither I thought I was going mad in my desire to capture the wench who dared to hurt High Priestess Liliane, friend of the colossi…friend of mine. We shall check it out and see what she has in store for the immortal," Lionheart said. He slowed down just long enough to turn before taking off full speed alongside Windwhisper towards the sound.

"We can't exactly call ourselves immortal, Father. Our kind were slain before," Windwhisper pointed out.

"Yes, but that was only because of the blade Wanderer wielded. It was forged by the gods who created us for the humans to use just in case one of our kind ever threatened their race. They needed a way to protect themselves. Now that accursed blade is lost. Nothing can destroy us now, my son. We truly are immortal," Lionheart boast.

Four miles later, the colossi stopped running. Standing on top of a mountain with light derived from a spell shining down on her was Kasara, smirking sinisterly down at them. An arrow was still sticking out of her right arm whither Wanderer had struck her and she hadn't bothered healing the wound. Her expression was almost that of a madman as she continued to chant despite their appearance. Lionheart roared, and if it was possible for him to scowl, he would have been.

She had the height advantage hither, but Lionheart and Windwhisper were built to destroy. A mountain the size of this one would fall easily if they rammed into it enough times, and then Kasara would have nowhere to run. Even she couldn't use that much energy in a day without it costing her. Lionheart was all for the smashing plan, but Windwhisper was more reluctant. Surely Kasara had something up her sleeve if she put herself in such a vulnerable position. Wouldn't destroying the mountain fall right into her plans? Could she have known that Lionheart would be one of those sent to hunt her down and kill her?

Before Windwhisper could relay his concerns to his father, the older lion colossus charged into the mountain. Kasara trembled in place a bit but didn't fall, stop chanting, or lose illumination. Lionheart roared ever loudly and backed up again.

"_You will not get away with what you have done, witch!"_ Lionheart screamed in the human language, getting into her head with that.

"_What? Did losing your beloved leader and friend really upset you that much? Well, don't you worry your little stony face off. You'll be joining her really soon. As will the rest of your kind. My mission is not only to wipe the Freak and her family off the face of the planet, but also to destroy the hellish stone creatures created by the hell gods so they pose no threat to the human race,"_ Kasara said calmly with her mind, still chanting.

"_We were not created by the hell gods! If anyone was, it would be you! And you cannot kill the colossi! We are immortal! If you believe you can slay us, then you are as dull as you are murderous!"_ Lionheart growled as he charged again. _"Windwhisper! Help me bring down this mountain, will you? I grow tired of this witch's lies and desire to silence her for good!"_

Kasara laughed in her mind while Windwhisper joined Lionheart in charging the mountain. _"I am not dull, you hell-creature. I have a way of killing you. Once I finish my spell, you'll get to see just how you are going to die, how you'll be sent back to your unholy creators. Just you wait a few seconds longer. That's all I need and you'll be history...Like you should have been eight years ago."_

"_Well, then. We'd better make sure you don't get those few seconds!" _Lionheart hissed. He and Windwhisper charged again, but it did nothing to halt her chanting. Again and again they rammed into the mountain, destroying it immensely with every strike, but it was futile.

The brunette stopped chanting suddenly, and Windwhisper was almost foolish enough to think that perhaps she had fallen from the mountain and died. But she was still standing on what remained of the mountain with an evil smirk plastered to her face. Only now, she wasn't thither empty-handed. In her left hand, she held a blade that shone blue in the weak light of the moon. Windwhisper heard his father's heart skip a beat, and he immediately knew that _that_ was the very sword which could sever colossi vitals, rendering the immortal mortal.

"Ah, yes. You remember this holy blade, now don't you? Wanderer stabbed this into you eight years ago, stealing your life from you and sending you into the underworld whither you belonged," Kasara remarked with her own voice this time. "When the brilliant Lord Emon attempted to seal these accursed lands for the second time…After Wanderer had been possessed by Dormin's evil…The sword reappeared in the temple at his village. I was given the duty of wielding it and Emon himself gave me the mission that I have already taken the first step of completing. For he knew the Freak used magic and only magic could defeat her, and he couldn't hope that another warrior in his village could match Wanderer's valor when the man killed the colossi. Now I can slay you and your son. And, just so you know, that spell I was chanting wasn't to bring the sword out. It was to do something else."

That something else came into play quite quickly after she finished speaking. Windwhisper tried to run, but he found that he was frozen in place. Lionheart was likewise disabled. Kasara descended from the ruins of a once great mountain and approached Windwhisper, holding the hellish blue blade with her good arm. Her lame right hand lifted. He felt his stone armor rip from his back and expose his vital. Lionheart's eyes flashed fiery orange as he realized what she was going to do to his son.

"First, I will kill your son so that you may suffer from the loss. Then I will kill you. I am sparing your son the pain of watching his father die. Really, kids shouldn't be seeing things like that, especially when they are only twelve years old. That's just cruel," Kasara stated. "Now watch your son die."

It was times like this that Windwhisper wished he could close his eyes. But as his entire face was made of stone, that was impossible. Kasara jumped upon his back like it was nothing and prepared to stab down with the blade. He cried out to the other colossi even though he knew they were all too far away to save him, and told his family how much he loved them. Then he waited for her to jab him with the blade, to take his life away forever, so that he would no longer be in this agony of waiting.

His waiting was for nothing.

Something large rammed itself into his side, knocking Kasara off of him and causing him to be knocked back several yards. Somehow, Lionheart had managed to break free of her spell and save his son. Windwhisper looked at his father with what would have been wide eyes had he been human, amazed that the old lion colossus was so strong.

"Run,-," Lionheart ordered, using Windwhisper's real name. His fiery eyes were focused on Kasara, who was starting to get up again.

Windwhisper was reluctant to leave his father to fight this witch, but he was too vulnerable at the moment to stand and fight. He grabbed his stone armor that was supposed to be on his back and ran off, mentally wishing his father farewell, hoping against the odds that his father would get out of thither alive.

_I love you, Father,_ Windwhisper thought, a tear rolling out of his eye.

Behind him, the mountain was hit with something hard. He heard it collapse, and seconds later came the screams of death that he knew only too well from eight years ago.

* * *

Wanderer swore as Gryffindor told him the fate of Lionheart and Windwhisper. He had been on the back of the bat colossus when the younger lion colossus had sent out an urgent call for someone to save him. He had sent images to Gryffindor, who had shared them with Wanderer, about what Kasara was doing. It was evident that she was a magic user as well, and a very powerful one. She had ripped off the colossus's armor with just a flick of the wrist and hadn't been exhausted afterwards. Somehow, Lionheart had broken through her spell and saved Windwhisper, but his valiant act had only given the boy colossus enough time to save his hide. Lionheart was no longer among the living for the second time in less than a decade.

Gryffindor had been flying towards the battle at breakneck speed, but now he slowed to a stop as thither was no reason to go that way unless he wanted to die. Wanderer looked at the ground below for any sign of the retreating Windwhisper. The lion colossus was carrying his back armor, which had been removed by Kasara's spell, in his mouth. That was difficult, for his mouth wasn't meant to hold things. To hold things, the jaw had to be able to move, to clench. A stone jaw was not able to do that. He kept dropping it on his way to get away from Kasara.

"_He's only carrying it because he believes that Liliane might be able to put it back on when she recovers," _Gryffindor informed Wanderer.

"…Perhaps you could take it off his hands," Wanderer suggested when the lion colossus came into view.

Gryffindor concurred and descended to meet up with Windwhisper. The lion colossus stopped running when he saw the bat colossus and laid his armor down on the ground. The one with wings grabbed the stone with his stony talons, and while he did so, Wanderer slid down his tail. He approached Windwhisper cautiously, noticing that he was crying. He had all the right in the world to be weeping—he had lost his father twice in less than a decade.

"_...He...He died protecting me from her...,"_ Windwhisper whimpered. _"...Lionheart...My father...He was so strong...I let him down, being so weak as to get caught my her spell and not breaking free of it myself..."_

"Magic is not as easily broken as you may think. Lionheart would have had to use most of his energy to save you, and he is much older than you and therefore had more energy. To ask the same of someone your age would be asking for suicide. Lionheart would have been very proud of you because you are a great warrior and a great son. You're not weak, and you could not have let Lionheart down. You are his son. His stone and blood. Of all his children, you are the most in his image. Smart, strong, fast…They were all skills you used at his side. He was willing to sacrifice himself for your life in the end," Wanderer remarked. "Listen, Wind. I know that losing someone can be very painful. I, too, lost someone and it made me do some crazy things, as I am sure you are aware. But I promise you, we will try to bring him back again. And Kasara will not go unpunished. Now she has two deaths on her hands and not only has she made enemies with the humans, but all the colossi will now want her head."

Windwhisper sniffed and he went down on his knees. _"...Will...Will you ride with me? I do not wish to be alone right now...Not after what happened..."_

"Of course, Wind. I would be honored to ride with you. That is, if Gryffindor doesn't mind that I'm abandoning him."

The old bat snorted—he was already in the air with Windwhisper's armor in his grasp. _"Would I mind? No, I'm perfectly fine with it. The boy needs your companionship more than I do right now. Just remember to visit me sometime...Either one of you. I have stories to tell you, Wind, about the great colossus named Lionheart in the human tongue. And Wanderer, I'm sure you have stories to tell about the land you originate from. You always seem to have something different to say every time we ride together."_

So they left for the village, Wanderer on the back of Windwhisper and Gryffindor flying above them.

_He left me now...Again._

* * *

_An evil entity had taken hold of me_

_Ripped out my heart and sworn to defeat._

_I still remember when I thought_

_That all you were eating was my blood._

_It's all been a lie_

_And I'll never come to know why._

_A woe to discover_

_You leaving me now._

_It's all been a lie_

_And I'll never come to know why._

_You've mastered the art of_

_Deceiving me now._

* * *

_A/N: End of chapter and end of lyrics that aren't repetitive. What did you think? Please tell me. Thank you for reading._


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Here's another chapter of this sequel. Enjoy._

* * *

Chapter 6

Everything was fuzzy when at last I could open my eyes again. The only thing that was clear was pain. Despite being healed, I still felt pain whither I had been hurt. It was dull and throbbing, but any pain was bad. I bit my tongue to keep from groaning as I sat up, letting my eyes adjust to the light they had grown unaccustomed to. Thither was no way of knowing how long I had been lying in my bed or in the darkness of my mind, but the sun was up and the bed was emptied of Jaccen. Whither was he? In the fields like he usually was when the day started? Would he really be working after what had almost happened to me? I did not know.

I used a little bit of magic to find out who was in or around my home. Jasel and Liliza were also gone. The hut was empty. Outside, however, I touched the minds of six strangers and two familiar people. One was very familiar, as it had pulled me through and prevented me from crossing into the afterlife long enough for Faelin to heal me. Its owner seemed to recognize that I was reaching into his mind, and I felt a tug in return via our mental connection.

I smiled painfully before releasing my magic. Even being unconscious for some period of time hadn't completely replenished my energy. It mustn't have been that long since I had lost consciousness. If it had been more than two days, I would have been well-rested and ready to fight with magic. _Two days or less,_ I thought tiredly, throwing my legs over the side of the bed and slipping into my sandals. _That was how long I was out of it._

The door to the front of the hut opened, and shortly after that, my bedroom door followed. Aslar smiled over at me, but despite the happiness on his face his eyes were full of concern. He saw me preparing to stand as he closed the door behind him, and he rushed over to push me back onto my back.

"Oh no you don't, High Priestess Liliane. You've still got another day of rest ahead of you," Aslar told me. "I felt how weak your connection was. You're in no condition to get up today. Another day of rest will do you some good."

"Who are you to boss around the High Priestess?" I asked teasingly, trying to sit up again but failing because he just pushed me back down. "I thought I was in charge. Did that change while I was out of it?"

"Kind of yes and kind of no. Wanderer has replaced you leading the village and Jaccen has replaced you being a priest. But it's only temporary. They'll only do it until you recover completely. Then you'll be in charge of everything once more," Aslar explained.

"So that's whither Jaccen is? Well, I suppose the village couldn't have gone on if they hadn't replaced me. But I can't help but feel put out that my husband isn't the one I wake up to see. I guess you'll do for now. What about Jasel and Liliza? Whither are they right now if Jaccen is being a priest again? And how is Coldheart doing?" I inquired.

"Liliza is in the Shrine of Idols as normal. Jasel is with Kaleb and Lukos, playing under the watchful eye of Gryffindor. And Coldheart is learning very well. He no longer hates humans to the point that he wants to kill them all. He still wants to kill certain ones, but for good reasons. Other than that, he's just awkward around them," Aslar informed me.

"Well, it's good to hear that he's improved," I said. "Now, I must let Lionheart know I am all right. That old fellow must have had a heart attack when he heard I was attacked. Will you go out and find him for me? I would go myself, but you will not let me. Or perhaps you could find one of the other colossi and ask them to send for him?"

Aslar's face fell, and I saw him swallow hard. Immediately, I knew something bad had happened and that my not knowing was what I deserved for allowing myself to be hurt so easily. If I hadn't cast so many spells so close together, I wouldn't have been drained. Then Kasara wouldn't have caught me offguard. But that was in the past. What had happened to Lionheart that made Aslar hesitate? How could anything bad befall Lionheart when the only weapon that could harm him, the hellish blue 'sacred' sword from my old village, had been lost when Emon resealed the lands? What was I missing?

"…Kasara…isn't as weak as we thought she'd be. She is a powerful spellcaster sent by Emon…to eliminate you and your family…and the colossi. She says we were created by the hell gods and are unholy, so therefore we must be exterminated to keep the human race safe. And she doesn't want your 'freak' blood getting all over the world, so that is why she hunts you and yours," Aslar stated quietly.

"But only the blue sword can hurt and kill colossi. She cannot have it…Can she?" I asked nervously.

"She can. According to her, the sword returned to the temple in your old village. When he went back to his home and several years had passed, he must have received word about what the Forbidden Lands had become. Perhaps out of disapproval for your methods of living, he sent her on that mission with the hell-blade. He found out about your magic abilities, so what better weapon could he send against a magic user than another magic user? It is perhaps because of her black arts…that she caught you offguard so easily," Aslar muttered.

Shock threatened to overwhelm me, but I fought against it. "…And you're trying to tell me that she got Lionheart while I was unconscious…Aren't you?"

Aslar nodded once. "…He and Windwhisper were out tracking her scent last night and found her on the top of a mountain, chanting. She bided her time with them, and the only thing they could do with her being above them was charge the mountain in hopes of bringing it, and her, down. Then she finished her spell, showed them the hell-blade, and then caught them with her magic so they couldn't move. She ripped off Wind's back armor and was going to stab him…to kill him…but somehow Lionheart managed to break free of her magic and saved him. It bought Wind enough time to get away, but that was it. She knocked him back into what remained of the mountain with her magic to remove his armor, and when he emerged from the rubble…She killed him."

Tears welled up into my eyes, and for a few minutes, I couldn't speak. Lionheart was dead…Again…For the second time in less than a decade. And it was Emon's fault… Again. He was pulling people's strings with his manipulative ways…Again. He had killed Devin, which had caused Wanderer to come into the Forbidden Lands, and he had killed Lionheart the first time. Now he was sending Kasara to kill not just the colossi…Again, but my family and me…Again. What the hell was his problem? He just didn't like to lose, did he? Just because I had done what he couldn't by killing Dormin and because the gods had channeled their power through me and not him, he wanted my lineage to die. The gods should just give him a heart attack already and purge the world of his evil. I was tired of fixing Emon's mistakes.

The dark-haired man that was Aslar climbed onto the bed beside me and wrapped his arms around me in a comforting manner, nothing more. I didn't push him away or react to his gesture of kindness; I was too numb to do anything at the moment. Too many things had been told to me, and my mind was struggling to wrap itself around it all. Kasara the Witch…Lionheart the Dead…Emon the Instigator…Liliane the Weak. I had to get stronger in order to protect the colossi and humans alike from the menace that was now plaguing our village: Kasara. I would get at Emon in time, but he wasn't a major threat at the moment. Only she was. Only she would die. Her son and her husband, wherever his loyalties lied, would understand in time.

Time passed by like each minute was a second, but still we remained thither without moving even the slightest. Aslar wasn't leaving until he was sure I was fine, and I wasn't speaking until my thoughts were figured out. I went into the archives of my head, trying to think of a spell I could do to permanently rid Kasara from the world. If she were as strong a witch as Aslar made her out to be, then thither was only one thing that would really work to kill her.

And it would take me three days of rest to achieve enough energy to do the spell…

And three sacrificial sources…

Including me.

When I remembered and realized _that_, I quickly shut my mind off to Aslar's connection. The suddenness of that puzzled Aslar, but he knew better than to try and probe my mental blockade for an entry point. If he knew what I planned on doing, he would never let me do it, even if it did save both of our races from utter destruction. I would tell him in time, but now was definitely not it. I wouldn't be able to do it anytime soon, anyway. I would have to make sure the Forbidden Lands would be ready to go on without me before even considering doing the spell. Then I would have to find the other two sacrificial sources for the spell, two people willing to die for the sake of the safety of the village.

It would take time…

And time wasn't our greatest ally.

Every day, Kasara could kill off another, be it family or colossi.

Every day, Emon might have another trick to send to us in hopes of hurting us.

Every day would make it that much harder for me to leave, to do the spell…and die.

Every day would make it harder for my family, friends, and village to forget me and move on.

Every day, I would cry, wondering if that would be the day I would sacrifice myself for the sake of my village.

Every death would be _my_ death, too.

Every loss would be _my_ loss, too.

Every pain would be _my_ pain, too.

Whenever someone died, a part of me would die.

Whenever someone lost someone, a part of me would be lost.

Whenever someone was hurt, a part of me would hurt.

As long as time continued to pass, I would continue to feel this way. I needed to get affairs in order for the sake of myself and everyone else so I would not prolong their suffering. The first order of business was already set in my mind.

"…Has anyone replaced Windwhisper's armor so his vital is not vulnerable?" I wanted to know, speaking in a quiet tone.

"Not to my knowledge. No one in this village is as gifted with magic as you are," Aslar murmured, puzzled not just by my mental blockade, but my question.

"Take me to him. I want to help him." Before Aslar could protest, I added hastily, "I might not have much time left, and if he manages to survive this whole thing with Kasara, I don't want him to hurt himself. Let me heal him. Then I promise I'll return to this bed and rest…When no one has more need of me."

"…You're planning something. What is it?" Aslar demanded.

I shook my head. "I cannot tell you at this moment, Aslar. Just know I know a spell that can take Kasara out, but it will take time for me to have enough energy to do it and it is better to use my abilities for the village's benefit now than wait for later. All right? Are you satisfied now?"

"No, but it would be pointless to argue any further," Aslar grumbled, getting off the bed. "Let's go and get this over with so that you can rest."

Without resistance this time, I stood up and shakily walked towards the door. Since I hadn't used my legs in a day or so, they were a little wobbly and awkward. But that didn't stop me. I opened the door to my bedroom; the door that led outside was soon to follow it. I was surprised to see six Egyptian warriors and Coldheart standing guard at my door; I had forgotten that I had sensed them due to the overwhelming news Aslar had told me.

Their leader must have seen the expression on my face, for he came over to me. He pounded his fist on his chest once in greeting and bowed, holding his hand whither he hit himself.

"High Priestess Liliane, we are the Guards of Teana. I have already explained this to Wanderer Mountainslayer, but I shall tell this to you, the leader of the village. The priestess of our people who died because of Kasara's wickedness was named Teana. She died, but we believe she would have wanted someone to protect you. We carry her name and have taken that position along with the two colossi you have turned human. Wherever you go, we shall follow and protect," the warrior stated.

"Thank you for your dedication. I appreciate it," I told him, not knowing what to say to return the Egyptians' kindness. He didn't seem to mind that I hadn't more gracious words to say—he smiled and repeated the gesture he had done in greeting before returning to his post.

I whistled, and my white mare came running. Amethyst was followed to me by six of her fellow horses, stallions wishing to gain her affection for the most part. Two were older children of hers: a gray stallion of seven years and a roan mare of six years. I would have preferred it if another horse had come as well, but this would have to do. I mounted Amethyst with Aslar riding behind me and told the warriors to get on the other horses. They did it without questions, leaving Coldheart to ride with one of them. The leader of the warriors allowed him to ride on the back of the gray stallion with him. Then we were off, Aslar instructing me whither to take Amethyst in order to find Windwhisper.

* * *

Windwhisper lay behind a boulder near the area whither Gryffindor and Freelancer were greeting newcomers. Even with all the bad things that were happening in the Forbidden Lands, people still came. Wanderer was filling in Liliane's role of greeting them on Gryffindor's back and explaining things to them, but when no one was around, both the bat colossus and the aged human warrior would come down and speak with him. Aslar had come around once that morning, but that was it. Even those three spending time with him was out-of-the-ordinary, and he knew that it was just because they felt bad for his father's death. He didn't mind their kindness, though he would have preferred to have been alone at the moment.

His back armor lay next to him, his only company. He hadn't gone to see his humanized brother or his deer sister or even his mother, fearing their emotions when they saw him. Of all Lionheart's children, Windwhisper was the most in his image. Looking upon his face would just remind them of their father and husband and send them into an emotional turmoil. And he didn't know if they would blame him for Lionheart's second death or not. So he kept his mind shut off to everyone far away and remained whither he was, trying not to think about anyone but the woman who had the power to restore his armor …and who might be able to bring Lionheart back again.

Freelancer stuck his head around the boulder after finishing his task of bringing down the men and the supplies of the newcomers. They were unloading, but they didn't need the dragon colossus to pay attention to them at the moment. Wanderer was busy conversing with these new people and was still on the back of Gryffindor or something like that; otherwise, they would both be thither as well. Windwhisper let his blue eyes flicker to acknowledge Freelancer's presence, but otherwise gave him no indication that he knew the four-winged wonder was looking at him.

"Greetings, -," Freelancer grumbled in the colossus dialect, using the lion colossus's real name and not his human one.

"…Hello, -," Windwhisper muttered.

"How are you doing back thither? Feeling any better?" Freelancer asked, concerned.

"…What do you think? Of course I'm not. I won't be for…a very long time," the lion colossus replied.

"That's very much understandable. Death isn't something one gets over fairly quickly," Freelancer said. "…- sent me over hither because that old bat wanted me to tell you a story about your father. He believes this might brighten your spirits, even if just for a little while. Do you wish to hear this tale?"

Windwhisper lifted his head from his stone paws and looked up at Freelancer in a form of answer. He loved to hear tales about what his father had done in the past, even though he would have preferred it if Lionheart himself was thither to tell them. They were his only connections to his father now…Those tales and his memories. He could just sit and listen to them all for centuries if it were possible. Another tale would be just great at the moment. It would tear him away from his sorrow for some time.

"Have you heard the story of how your father created a river?" Freelancer inquired. When Windwhisper shook his head, the dragon colossus continued. "It was done once upon a time when he was enraged by a human. This was a couple of centuries ago, when humans were hither without having to travel and before that accursed Emon had sealed us to Dormin. The deity was still hither, but They weren't as much of a nuisance as They were when They were sealed to us.

"At this time, the people who lived in the Forbidden Lands in a particular area had trouble reaching water. The closest water source to them was on the other side of a great mountain, a huge lake with no place to go. The people were at a constant struggle to reach that place and return to their village. Most of their days were spent retrieving water to quench their throats, raise their crops, and keep their livestock healthy. At the time, humans hadn't yet figured out how to store water in animal skins. Your father was a constant visitor of this village and helped them to get water when he could. He would carry a great number of them on his back and ran around the mountain faster than any of their horses could have gone. They filled their earthenware with water, quenched themselves, covered their vases so the water wouldn't escape, and then your father would take them back. It worked well for some time, but thither was always room for improvement on their water-gathering system.

"One day, a young man around the age of manhood observed your father's strength. A boulder had rolled into the way of your father, disturbing the water-gathering run he usually did. He asked the people on his back to get off and back up for a few moments. Once they were a safe distance away, your father charged into the boulder, sending it flying many leagues away in many pieces. The young man witnessed this, and an idea came into his head. If your father could move boulders and destroy them, shouldn't he also be able to take down mountains?

"So the young man approached your father with his idea. It was an amazing spectacle, for no one had dared approach the colossi. It was either the colossi approached you or you left them alone. The young man was a scrawny little fellow with barely anything to his name and tattered clothes to cover his body. When he proposed the idea, your father had shot him down, saying it was impossible. The young man didn't give up or give in, despite what the people in his village wanted. He actually _taunted_ your father, doubting his strength and saying absolutely everything he could to piss your father off. His village was outraged.

"But getting your father angry was exactly what that village needed. For the moment your father's eyes flashed orange, the young man stood right in front of the mountain that needed demolishing, daring your father to come at him. You know how your father got when he was angry, so I don't need to tell you how headstrong he was. He charged at the young man, who quickly rolled out of the way, and ran right through that mountain. Water gushed out from the lake on the other side, going anywhere it could. Your father came back through the gap in the mountain and looked at the scrawny man who had made him do that. But he wasn't angry anymore. He was just awestruck. But he didn't have time to stand around and look dumbfounded. He quickly got to work making a riverbed for the water to stay in so it wouldn't flood the village by running back and forward very quickly.

"The young man who had goaded your father into charging into the mountain was almost banished for what he had done, but the great colossus your father was ordered the village to let him stay and to honor him for his life-saving idea. Your father's assistance was no longer needed because of the new river, so he left the village alone, only visiting it occasionally. That river was named by the humans because they feel the need to give name to everything. And it was titled the Taunting River for how it had been made.

"Your father, -, may have been taunted into making that river by a young human, but he was responsible for all the lives in that village. Their lives were made easier by his strength, his rage. - was a hero to humans and colossi alike. He passed down his strength and rage to his children. Your brother, -, received his rage, you received his strength, and your sister, -, received a little of both. And he would have been proud to see how you three turn out. He will live on to see it, for his spirit will always be in the river he created."

The tale was at an end. His father was the valiant hero. That was how all his tales were. Windwhisper sighed and put his head back onto his paws. Without the story to distract him, his sorrow came back twice as hard. Freelancer seemed to sense Windwhisper's desire to be alone, for he began to pull back with a gentle whisper of good tidings.

"…Just a heads-up, Liliane is on her way to put your armor back whither it belongs," Freelancer mumbled before his head was completely away from the boulder.

Windwhisper jerked his head back up. His heart was racing with the unexpected news. Liliane was coming! She was awake and was coming to him! Perhaps she could bring his father back after she put his stone armor back on! Then he could look at his siblings and mother and not see tears! Then everything would be all right!

He heard the seven horses before he saw them and hurried to his feet. He felt as if the whole world could hear the quick-paced beating of his heart and sense the excitement and hope he was now feeling. Everything he was praying for rested on the shoulders of a human woman who was going to be thirty in a few years. He just hoped he wouldn't be let down.

She came with her new guards, the Guards of Teana as they called themselves, and Aslar and Coldheart. They dismounted from their horses. Liliane came towards him, but only after saying something to Coldheart that was something along the lines of stay back. Aslar came with her, like he always did, leaving Coldheart thither with a bunch of unfamiliar humans. Liliane wore a forced smile on her face, but Aslar just wore his normal scowl.

The blonde woman walked over to the stone plate that was supposed to be on Windwhisper's back and muttered some sort of ancient incantation. The stone rose in the air and came to float over the lion colossus's back. Slowly, it placed itself onto his back. He felt it reconnecting like it was supposed to be—it didn't feel even the slightest bit out of place. When it was the way it should have always been, Liliane released her magic and stumbled back a few steps. She probably would have fallen, but Aslar was right behind her and caught her. Windwhisper was happy that his vital was covered again, but he knew he had to press the hope of bringing his father back as soon as possible lest it slip everyone's mind forever.

"_High Priestess Liliane, will you please try to bring back Lionheart?" _Windwhisper pleaded, surprising even himself with the urgency in his voice.

Liliane looked up at him with her tear-filled river grass-green eyes, and immediately his hopes plummeted. "…I would love to, Wind. But I could not do it again even if I was fully recovered from the attack. The power it would take…would require the energy of a god. I am not a god. I am only human. I am sorry, Wind. This time, thither is no bringing Lionheart back from the dead."

Windwhisper collapsed on the ground, wallowing in sorrow.

* * *

_A/N: End of chapter. What did you think? Please tell me. Thank you for reading._


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in forever. It's not like it mattered, since only one person reviews this anymore. But I would like to say I was taking a small break from my stories. And Freelancer, when I put in the last chapter that Windwhisper had a 'deer' sister, I was referring to the fact that she was a deer colossus. Just thought I'd tell you. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Please read on._

* * *

Chapter 7

Aslar left Coldheart in the village with orders to familiarize himself with the people to visit his mate, taking one of Amethyst's horses as means to get thither faster. He hated to abandon Liliane and her family when they were most vulnerable, but he needed to see Sleneyn and confirm that she was alive with Xenia. He had been away from them for far too long. Kasara could have gotten to them by now. If she did, he would kill her himself.

The black-and-white stallion of five years reached the watery grounds below his mate's home quicker than he could have imagined. Aslar dismounted and told the horse to stay put, which he thought was foolish since a horse was just an animal, and then he jumped into the water. It was slightly cold compared to the temperature of the day, and it seemed colder than it would have to a normal human because he was warmer than humans. He swam over to the halfway collapsed bridge that led up to Sleneyn's hovering home that remained in the air of its own doing and ran up it, careful not to slip and fall back into the cool waters. The bridge ended across from the rounded hovering ground, but it was too far to jump. A tower with edges enough to hold onto was between the bridge and the ground, so that was the only way to get thither.

He jumped and grabbed the edge, almost failing to do so. He had to commend Wanderer for managing to do this without falling and plunging to almost certain death. Aslar maneuvered around the tower for a better jumping angle before he tried the dangerous leap over to the floating sanctuary. He jumped and managed to grasp the edge of the lower level. Then he pulled himself up, found a small flight of stairs that would take him to the upper level, and walked out onto Sleneyn's territory.

The woman colossus with one long blunt arm was standing with their daughter Xenia, playing some sort of game. Both females were laughing and sounded like they were having a good time. He had missed their bubbly laughs ever since taking up Liliane's task—it was good to hear them again. Their game and laughter stopped when the elephant colossus that was his daughter noticed him. Sleneyn turned around to see what Xenia was looking at, and her blue eyes flashed orange for a moment. It was obvious she didn't recognize him.

"_Who are you? What do you want?"_ Sleneyn asked, her harmonious voice suspicious.

"Sleneyn, it is I. Aslar…Your mate and Xenia's father. I have been turned human in order to help High Priestess Liliane, or else I would be my normal self and could speak your name the way it was meant to be spoken…In the colossus dialect. Human tongues do not possess the ability to say such a dialect, unfortunately," Aslar said.

"_Father!" _Xenia exclaimed, sending him feelings of happiness and affection.

"_...Helping High Priestess Liliane again, huh? That's whither you've been all this time? Xenia and I went to visit you the other day...We were surprised that you weren't at the city. Guess Liliane's task kept you away for a long time. What did you have to do that required you be turned human?"_ Sleneyn wanted to know.

"Coldheart's hatred for humans. He was getting out of control with it, like he was going to hurt them, and so she turned him into one. She came to me because I, too, once hated humans, and asked if I would teach him to not hate their race. I've been doing so for a few days now. He's getting thither. Soon…We might be colossi again," Aslar explained.

"_Might? What's that supposed to mean?"_

"Thither is this witch who used to try to kill Liliane when she was a child in her old village. She is working for Emon and is going to kill off all of those 'tainted' with Liliane's blood and all of the colossi. She has killed one colossus already, as I am sure you have heard already, and she almost killed Liliane. She had been doing a lot of spells that day and was weak, which gave Kasara the perfect opportunity to strike. She hasn't completely recovered, and turning Coldheart and me back would take far too much energy. She has a plan, or rather a spell, that can take care of Kasara, but she will have to rest for days in order to get the energy she needs for the spell. She can't waste her energy to turn us back into colossi. If it comes down to it, we could be human forever."

"_Father, do you want to be human for all time?" _Xenia inquired, but her question went unanswered because Sleneyn had things to ask of her own.

"_Forever? But that will just make it easier for Kasara to kill you and Coldheart! You'll end up just like Lionheart, and I can't deal with that! I already lost you once, when it was me who was killed! I don't want to have to lose you again! So what if it costs Liliane a little of her precious black arts energy! She should turn you back so you're harder to kill! I think Coldheart has learned his lesson! Tell her you want to be a colossus again, and if you don't do it for me, do it for Xenia! Do you really want her growing up without a father in her life? She needs you, just like I need you! Will you please speak with Liliane about this before it's too late?"_

"…I don't know. I might be of more use to Liliane's safety if I remain human."

Sleneyn growled and turned on her rounded feet. _"It's always about Liliane, isn't it? Ever since you two met nine years ago after my death, she's all you've ever cared about! You two share a mental connection that's supposed to be unique to colossi, particularly colossi couples! You saved her from falling into darkness over the death of our kind, but she didn't save you from being killed by Wanderer! She turned you human, and you hated humans, yet you didn't mind! You even pecked her on the cheek! So what if she brought us back from the dead and killed Dormin? That human is bad news, and if you don't stop caring about her so much, then you can forget about coming back to Xenia and me, for we will never let you near us again! It's either Liliane or us, so you'd better choose wisely, Aslar!"_

Aslar couldn't believe it. Sleneyn was jealous of Liliane. It was true that he saw more of Liliane than he did of Sleneyn, but he would always love Sleneyn more than her. Sleneyn had been his for centuries upon centuries. They had had children together, even though their first had accidentally killed himself. No one could ever replace her. He had only known Liliane for roughly nine years. It was true that he loved her, but they were both taken. It didn't matter, anyway. He had a family he was happy with, as did she. And he didn't want to lose that family, not after it had just come together again.

"…I'll speak with her tonight. If she doesn't agree, it won't be my fault."

"_If she doesn't agree, then make her agree,"_ Sleneyn hissed. _"Now leave us alone. We don't want to look upon some human who's supposed to be Aslar."_

"_...Goodbye, Father," _Xenia murmured before Sleneyn blocked her from Aslar's view.

Aslar sighed. Sleneyn could be so difficult sometimes. He jumped down to the lower level of the floating sanctuary, whither it would be somewhat safer to leap from, and then jumped down towards the water. He hit it just right to whither it didn't hurt much and made very little of a splash before swimming over to the place he had left the horse. The stallion was a bit jumpy, perhaps from hearing Sleneyn's roaring, but Aslar had no trouble getting it to calm down. He mounted the stallion, gave one last glance over his shoulder at his colossi family, and then took off for the village again.

* * *

"I want to find everyone in this village who can tap into the black arts," I said to the priests in the Shrine of Idols. I had asked Aslar to leave me thither for the sole purpose of finding protection for the village. Mistclaw was busy watching the rest of my family, Windwhisper was too torn apart on the inside to do anything, and Coldheart was getting to know humans, so a sorrow-filled Melanine volunteered to watch over me. I felt safe with her eyes on me, for just like Lionheart, she would never let anything happen.

Thither was a murmuring amongst the priests. They must have been trained to believe that using magic was a sin and only the unholy weaved spells. They all knew I was a spellcaster, of course, but they also knew I hardly used my magic. But to ask for others to commit such an action was unheard of in holy grounds.

"You must be questioning my motives for requesting such an 'unholy' group. Let me tell you something, fellow priests and priestesses. Not all magic is evil. I use magic—it runs in my blood, so I cannot deny its purpose by letting it remain bottled up within me. Magic can be good. You have seen me do good with my powers. It does what the wielder tells it to do, for magic is like a weapon…A knife, if you will. Like a knife, it can kill, but only when it is tossed violently at a person. If the knife was left alone, it would never jab itself into a person's heart. Magic is the same way. Also like a knife, it can be used to help people. When we need to cut things in order to make them more useful, like rope or cloth or such, a knife is thither to make the work easier. Magic is the same, only instead of shortening the length of things, it can protect them. With enough magic, we could protect this village from Kasara like this place had ten million armed soldiers. Magic is the key. It just has to be used for the right purposes."

The murmuring rose up again, but the tones of it were different than before. It wasn't long thereafter that some of the priests and priestesses came up to me and admitted they could tap into the black arts. I would have to test them to see how far into the black arts they could tap, but I would only do that after I found all the spellcasters in the village besides Kasara. People didn't have to be priests to possess magic. And the wait was due to my lack of energy. The more time I had to recover, the better.

I dismissed the priests, telling them to search the villagers to see if they could do magic and to tell those that could to meet at the Shrine when night fell. Jaccen and Melanine were the only ones left when they dispersed. I felt tired, but I didn't want to leave my husband whither danger could be. I had the Guards of Teana and Gryffindor to watch over me. Who did Jaccen have to watch over him?

"I'm glad to see you awake already," Jaccen remarked, taking me in his arms and kissing me. "But I know you well enough to know you're still very exhausted and drained of your energy. You need to go home again."

"But I don't want to leave you. We might not be together that much longer," I protested.

"You're silly, Liliane. We'll be together forever, even when this world comes to an end. You'll have plenty of time to be with me. Right now, you need to sleep. You almost died, and I hear that can drain the life right out of you. Sleep is the only way of getting your life back. Now let Melanine take you home, or I'll throw you over my shoulder and take you thither myself," Jaccen threatened teasingly.

I smiled, but thither was no true happiness within me. My death was to come regardless if Kasara took it or not. Soon Jaccen would no longer have me at his bedside, and little Jasel and Liliza would be without a mother. I wanted to spend as much time with them as was possible before my energy became strong enough for the spell to be possible. Before death, I wanted one more night with my lover. That was all I could ask of him.

"All right then. I will return home and rest as long as Kasara is not lying in wait for me," I sighed, giving into him.

"I doubt she would pull the same trick twice," Jaccen said. "Besides, I think she believes you to be dead. Nothing Lionheart or Windwhisper told her gave her any incline of you still being alive. You should be safe for now…Unlike the rest of us."

"…Yes…Lionheart…," I murmured. My eyes became wet with tears, but I refused to cry. It was not my place to cry over death when I soon would be the one dead that people cried over. "…The colossi will keep us safe. Nothing shall befall you, my beloved. You must have faith. Faith is the only thing that has been thither for us besides love, and if you lose faith, then surely love will soon follow. Promise me you will always have faith, Jaccen. Promise me that."

"For you, I would promise the stars and the moon," Jaccen whispered.

"…Thank you. I shall return home with the Guards and leave Melanine to watch over you, in case Kasara plans on attacking you. If what you said was true, then she won't be coming after me anytime soon."

"No. I would feel that you were safer with Melanine to escort you. I will be safe in the Shrine for a few minutes alone. Besides, I was planning on going to the fields whither Mistclaw and Faelin are. It won't take me long to get thither at all. I will be fine."

It was foolish to believe him, but I was too exhausted to argue. I gave him one last kiss before walking out of the Shrine of Idols with Melanine. I mounted Amethyst, was surrounded on all sides by the Guards of Teana and the boar colossus, and then took off for home, all the while knowing that Jaccen was watching me go from him for the last time…The very absolute last time.

Jaccen turned around, planning on getting his scythe so he could help with the harvest. He had laid it on the altar that had been Devin's resting place for nearly a year, planning on using it after priest services. Liliane's appearance had disturbed his plans, but now he could get back on track.

What he didn't expect was to encounter the brown-haired witch in the sacred Shrine.

She stood right in front of him, holding the hellish blade that had taken so many lives since its forging in the gods' fire, colossus and man alike. Her face was expressionless, lacking the hysterical madness it usually possessed. Her blue eyes were hard set. She wasn't hither to mess around. She was hither for one purpose and one purpose alone.

To kill Jaccen.

He knew thither was no escape for him. Even if he managed to escape the blade, thither was no escaping the magic she could throw at him. She could utter one single word and he would be dead without a chance of returning. His dear Liliane, whom he had wanted to bring back to him and away from the colossus Aslar, would be alone. His children, Jasel and Liliza, would be fatherless. The village would suffer from yet another death because of the plague Kasara had become. Would anyone even remember him after this? He was just a simple man who had managed to win the heart of the greatest woman ever born. A priest he was once, but he had no big accomplishments to boast about. His name would surely fade out of existence.

_Will she even remember me?_

Before he could think another thought or try to run, Kasara struck. She leapt at him faster than any human could have possibly done and drove the blue blade right into his heart.

* * *

The news came to me at nightfall, when the priests and the spellcasters amongst the village came to the Shrine of Idols to be tested. They found Jaccen's body near the stairs that I had used to leave the Shrine, blood on the ground and a stab wound in his chest. His eyes were still opened when I was brought thither, not wide with fear but filled with a dull concern that remained from his last seconds of life. Crying, I closed his eyes so they would look upon an empty abyss no longer.

I lost control of my emotions and held his corpse close to my body, ignorant of the blood that was now staining the white gown Devin had put me in during my unconsciousness. I had never known what it was like to lose someone who held my heart in the palm of their hand, not even when Devin had been killed. But now I understood exactly what Wanderer had gone through the day she died. It had happened to me. Jaccen was gone forever. I would never get to hold him again or kiss him or be with him in the way a couple should have been. I would never hear him whisper his loving words or listen to him scold Jasel for doing something wrong or watch the children's expressions as he told one of his tall tales.

He was dead.

I blamed myself for his death. If I hadn't let him stay alone at the Shrine, he would still be alive. So what if I was exhausted? His life was in danger, and I had let it remain that way. I had been foolish, and now not only would I suffer, but so would Jasel and Liliza.

My daughters wept violently when they heard of their father's death. Jasel dropped to her knees and cried loudly into her hands. She didn't seek comfort from me; she had always been daddy's little girl…And now he was gone. Liliza remained standing, tears silently rolling down her face as she grieved over his death. I told them to stay with Devin and Wanderer that night; home would be no place for them at the moment.

I dismissed the spellcasters and told them to come back in the morning. Jaccen's body was one of two that needed to be dealt with. Richard, Kasara's husband and one of my former bullies as you would call them, had also been slain. Lukos had found him and was a silent wreck. I sent him to Wanderer's as well, hoping they could offer comfort to three children who had lost their fathers when I could not.

With the Guards of Teana and Coldheart watching over me, I took both the body of Jaccen and the body of Richard to the cemetery we had made for the village. Very few bodies had been buried hither, mostly only the aged or newborns that hadn't made it very long. Thither was one other new edition, for this was a place whither bodies would be preserved for lengths of time. Teana, the priestess who had died without Kasara having a reason. Now Jaccen and Richard would join her in eternal rest.

A couple of the Guards helped me to dig graves for the men. I placed the bodies in the holes myself. I had hardly known the man that Richard had become, but I felt it was my duty to grant the changed person his peace. The hardest thing I had ever done was putting Jaccen into the earth, knowing that this wasn't some dream I would wake from and see his smiling face next to mine. With tears streaming down my face, I lowered him into his final resting place, and then began the emotionally painful work of burying the men.

When that was over, I looked over their graves, giving them a moment of silence. I whispered an incantation, and right above whither my wonderful husband was buried, a golden stone appeared. It could never be moved and named the great man that rested beneath the soil, so that no one would ever forget who Jaccen was and who he had been.

"…Jaccen was a lucky man in life, and the world will surely miss him," Aslar muttered, appearing at my side from out of nowhere. Tears were in his eyes as well, but not for the same reason that I was crying. Our mental connection told me something else was wrong, and whatever it was had been the reason I couldn't find him for so long.

"…Aslar, why are you crying?" I asked in a very quiet voice.

The colossus-turned-man's voice was very choked up; he had trouble replying. "… Kasara killed another colossus…perhaps before she killed her husband. Freelancer told me…that Sleneyn was dead. I…I couldn't believe it…I had just seen her and Xenia this afternoon. So I climbed back up to her sanctuary…And…And I found her dead…Again. Xenia was safe…Sleneyn had pushed her into the water before…before Kasara could hurt her…And my daughter…She found refuge with Erriffite. But…But my mate is dead…Again…And I couldn't do anything…to prevent her from dying…"

Aslar broke down and fell into my arms. I had never known Aslar to cry before—he was such a strong person that tears on him seemed as normal as four arms on a human. I knew I couldn't comfort him when I, too, was suffering from a great loss, but we couldn't just stand thither crying the whole night. I told him we could stay at my home for the night and be in privacy so that no one, especially not Coldheart, would think any less of him for crying. He managed to regain his composure long enough to mount Amethyst behind me, and we rode off towards my empty, Jaccen-less home.

We closed both doors behind us; we were in the bedroom that had been shared by Jaccen and me. Just being thither, with the memories and the scent that had belonged to my beloved, was overwhelming. My tears were renewed and came over me like a flood, but like Liliza, I was a silent crier. Aslar, with his own tears, did not fail to notice my weeping and he took me in his arms. I let him. We were both alone…And yet not.

Something must have come over us in that one moment of embrace. Perhaps it was his feelings caused by being human and my subconscious feelings for him, or our desire to not be alone. I do not know, so therefore I cannot tell you. But whatever it was, it overtook us like night overtakes day, and we could not stop ourselves from what happened next.

* * *

_A/N: Sad, death-filled chapter. What did you think? Please tell me. Thank you for reading._


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Thanks for reviewing, Freelancer and Mistclaw. Here is another chapter for you guys. Please enjoy and read on._

* * *

Chapter 8

The sun greeted us the next morning, though we were hardly happy. The night before… What had happened…It had been fine and all, but with it over and us awake from our dreams, Aslar and I were not the slightest bit happy. I turned my back to the window so I couldn't see the light, keeping the sheets pulled over my naked body. Aslar was sitting up with his legs dangling over the side of the bed, halfway clothed. He must have been up longer than me, if he had slept at all.

I couldn't find words to say to Aslar at that moment in the morning. We were different people, different races even, that were connected by one thing other than minds: pain. We had both lost our beloved, the one we were supposed to be with forever. Seeking companionship, we had lain together in the bed that I once shared with my husband. Last night it hadn't seemed wrong, but now that I thought of it, it sickened me. Jaccen had died because of me not even a full sun rotation ago, and already I was warming our bed with another man. What was wrong with me? Did I ever really love him? Or did my love for him fade with the discovery of Aslar? What a whore I was.

That window that cast the sun's light upon me had been placed thither strategically by Jaccen. When he had cut it, he told me that I was his angel, and when the sun rose in the morning, the light would illuminate me so I would look as beautiful as when he first met me in the shrine at our old village. I had loved him very much for being so considerate and loving of me. But now I was turning my back on it. Was it from grief…or guilt?

Mixed emotions were coming from my mental connection to Aslar. He was feeling grief and guilt as well, along with regret and longing and heartbreak. Every negative emotion thither was, he was feeling. I could only imagine what he was getting from me.

"…You're not a bad person…Liliane," Aslar sobbed; he knew I was awake without me saying a word. Jaccen had been the same way. In the morning, he would know I was awake without me having to open my eyes or speak.

"…Then…What am I?" I asked, my voice shaky.

"…Last night…We were both hurting…and we didn't want to be alone, not after we had just lost the people we…loved with all of our hearts. We found comfort in each other's arms…Let our emotions get the better of us…And that's it. We lay with each other out of grief and loneliness and our feelings for each other. And I'm sorry we desecrated the bed that was yours and Jaccen's," Aslar apologized. I had never heard his voice shake so much before. It cut deep into my heart to hear him in so much pain.

I couldn't bring myself to say anything, for thither was nothing to say. I sat up next to him and touched his shoulder gently. He didn't pull away, but I felt his mind flinch away from me. I wanted to comfort him, but thither was no way I could with the way he was feeling.

"…She wanted me to speak with you, you know…To order you to make me a colossus again because she was worried I would get killed. She begged me to, and even brought Xenia into it…Before yelling at me and claiming I cared more about you than my own family. Thither was no arguing with her…Last night, I was supposed to ask you to turn me into a colossus again. But then she…And then we…So I suppose it slipped from my mind in the action and misery," Aslar whimpered.

"…I am sorry, Aslar…Do you want me to turn you back now…?" I asked.

Aslar shook his head. "No. Not now. Coldheart still needs to learn to be comfortable with humans…And without Jaccen…You're going to need me."

"…Aslar, I love you…But Xenia will need you more than Coldheart or even I need you. She has lost her mother…Don't make her lose her father, too," I said.

The colossus-turned-man turned to face me. "But I don't want to lose you, Liliane. I…I don't want to feel like I could never love someone else. In my colossus form, I…I feel nothing for you. Only in human…does my heart truly feel something. With Sleneyn dead …I won't be able to love in my true form."

"Yes…You will. You will love Xenia, your daughter. That is who you must live for. And you won't lose me anytime soon. I will live for a bit longer, Aslar. I will always be hither," I remarked, putting a finger on his chest in the general area whither his heart was. "You may not feel it in your true form…But some part deep down will always hold me in its grasp. I'm just so sorry that your feelings for me…cost you precious time with Sleneyn. I feel like such a whore for what I've done to both our families…"

"You're not a whore," Aslar stated pointedly. "You were lonely. Thither is a difference, or else we are both whores."

"…All right then. Aslar, I promised when you took up the Coldheart mission…that I would do something for you and Sleneyn. I've decided what I will do…But you must agree to take your true form again with Coldheart and come with me to Erriffite's cave to visit Xenia."

Aslar took my hands in his, which in turn accidentally made the sheets drop away from my upper-half. "I will do what you tell me to, Liliane. You and Xenia are all I have left."

"Do not forget the other colossi. They are what you have left as well…I cannot compare to you, for I must live for the entire Forbidden Lands. I fear how long that will last."

The man-turned-colossus kissed my lips—this gesture was probably more out of loneliness and desire than true love. "I won't let you die. That bitch will have to go through me first."

This was a completely new Aslar for me to deal with. He had never been this clingy, this needy, before…Not even after Sleneyn had died the first time. Perhaps it was because I had lain with him that he felt that he needed me…I was not sure. Or perhaps it was just because he had lost her again and couldn't deal with the heartache on his own anymore. I wouldn't blame him or become angry at him for his clingy behavior. I myself was a bit reluctant to let him go, to let him become the towering ape colossus that he had been made to be. But he had another calling, another person to watch over, and I had a village to protect. We both had our duties that we couldn't neglect no matter what.

I climbed out of the bed and grabbed my clothes that I would wear that day. My hand found a black dress in the chest whither my clothes were, and I thought it would be appropriate with Jaccen dead that I wore the gloomy color. I dressed and slid my sandals on, ready to take on my role as leader of this village. But I was still unprepared to face my daughters or Lukos.

Aslar finished dressing and followed me wordlessly as I walked out of my home. I told Coldheart that he would be riding with me that day, which took both him and Aslar by surprise. I explained that this was his last test, for he would be a colossus soon if he proved he had conquered his hate of humans. He had hated me more than most people, so it was a good lie to cover why I didn't want to ride with Aslar. Amethyst trotted over to us with an entourage of other horses, and we mounted the animals for quick travel.

I put Amethyst into an immediate gallop, pushing her to go as fast as she could. Coldheart was forced to hold on tight to me, but I hardly noticed him. All I could think about was getting to Xenia and Erriffite and separating myself from Aslar. We needed to separate as soon as possible, for if we even thought about having a relationship, it would only end up hurting him in the end when I…sacrificed myself during the spell that would be the end of Kasara. He had been through enough pain in the last ten years. He didn't need any more. And I didn't need any more pain, either. If I let myself fall in love with Aslar…It would make it that much harder to die.

The wind from our speed blew past my face, carrying the tears I was shedding and taking some of my pain with it.

* * *

Jasel woke up on the floor of Kaleb's room, desperately wishing that the events of yesterday had only been part of a terrible nightmare. But as soon as she discovered whither she was, she knew that it was true—her daddy was dead because that witch Kasara had slain him…and Lukos's daddy, too. She pushed the blanket Devin had given her away and pulled her knees up to her chest, trying not to cry because she knew she couldn't cry quietly.

Liliza was still asleep beside her, and little Kaleb was asleep on his bed, body sprawled all over the place with his sheets kicked off. But Lukos was wide awake in front of her, staring at her with tears in his beautiful blue eyes. He was a silent crier, just like Liliza, and Jasel liked that he wasn't as loud as her or Kaleb. They were opposites, children of a bitter rivalry, but yet they got along just fine. She knew he wasn't crying over the death of Jaccen but of Richard…His father. In one night, Kasara had succeeded in making three children fatherless and two children motherless, for she was no mother to Lukos anymore. She felt sorry for the brunette boy sitting across from her, and wished she could do something for him.

Liliane had taught her a bit of magic over the years; not as much as she had taught Liliza but enough that she could do things with the black arts. She tore a strip of cloth from the hem of her dress and muttered some words, clutching the tan material in her hand as she did so. Magic could create things out of thin air, but it was easier on the caster to change one thing into another to conserve energy. When the spell was done, a talisman was in her hands. It was like a necklace, with a charm near the center that was shaped like a tooth of a large carnivore, perhaps a bear. It would protect him from any spell his mother tried to use on him, and heal any minor injury he received during her plague. It wasn't much and she doubted it would help him deal with the loss of Richard, but she just had to do something for him.

She tossed the talisman over to Lukos, and it landed on his lap just as she had wanted. He glanced over at her with surprise in his eyes, not understanding why she had given him something after all the pain his mother had put her family through. Jasel couldn't stop a wan smile from coming onto her face—she couldn't believe how much Lukos believed his mother's crimes to be his crimes, too. He was too young to be thinking like that. They were the same age, but just like Liliza, he was in a hurry to grow up.

"Go ahead…Put it on. It will protect you from spells and heal your wounds," Jasel whispered. Thither weren't any tears in her eyes or voice—the spell had distracted her from the pain she had felt when she woke up.

Hesitantly, Lukos tied the talisman around his neck. It went well with his attire and personality in Jasel's opinion. He gave her a questioning gaze, and she felt compelled to answer it though it wasn't really necessary.

"…You looked so sad…And I wanted to do something to make you at least a little happy cuz I don't like to see you sad…Lukos, everything that crazy woman Kasara does…It's not your fault. Don't let yourself feel like you're responsible…Or that her crimes are your crimes. You're only eight, for gods' sake. Be a kid…Not a kid-sized adult," Jasel stated in a very quiet voice for her. She was usually very loud, so her now quiet tone was a shock.

Lukos gave her a small smile. "…Thank you…"

"It was nothing…But you are welcome, Lukos."

"…Jasel and Lukos, sitting in a tree…K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

Both children turned to glare at Kaleb, who still didn't understand what death was despite his two cousins coming to stay with him. The dark-haired seven-year-old was sitting up in his bed with a huge grin on his face as he continued to taunt Jasel and Lukos. Liliza was still lying down beside Jasel, but she would no doubt be awake soon.

"Kaleb, be quiet. We are too young to be kissing or thinking about marriage," Jasel remarked, preparing to pounce on the boy. "And wipe that grin off your face. It isn't right to grin after what happened yesterday."

"Why?" Kaleb asked.

"…Two fathers and a mother were killed, that's why. My father…Jasel's father…and the colossus Xenia's mother…They are dead, Kaleb. Do you know what that means?" Lukos inquired, speaking calmly. When the boy shook his head, Lukos continued. "It means we will never see them in life again. They are in the heavens…Richard, Jaccen, and Sleneyn are in the heavens whither they will suffer from Kasara's wrath no longer. Death means that they were taken from us and we will not see them again until we, too, are dead. Which I hope will not be for a long time, for we are far too young to be dead."

Kaleb struggled for a moment to take in what Lukos had told him. The smile was gone from his face as the reality of death finally started to sink in.

"…So…I won't see Uncle Jaccen again?" Kaleb wanted to know, his voice a bit shaky.

"…Unfortunately, that is what it means," Lukos replied.

The dark-haired boy's blue eyes filled with tears immediately. Jasel had only seen Kaleb cry when he hurt himself or when he didn't like something—this was the first time he had ever wept over emotions. She climbed onto his bed and hugged her cousin, wishing she could be more of a comfort, but knowing that she couldn't because she was in pain, too.

Liliza's crimson eyes flashed open and she flew into the seated position, hands flying to her temples as she grimaced in pain. Everyone's eyes turned to her, wide from fear.

"…Kasara's trying to…get to us so she can kill us…," Liliza stammered, gritting her teeth against the pain in her head. "…I'm holding her attempts off to the best of my ability …But if she keeps this up, I might…faint or be overwhelmed by her magic…And you know what that will mean, Jasel."

Jasel did know. If an opponent overwhelmed another with their magic, the one that was overwhelmed would most certainly be killed. She couldn't let Liliza die, even if she wasn't as masterful with magic as her twin sister. She immediately summoned the black arts and used her powers to support Liliza's defense.

As soon as she entered the magical battle, she understood why Liliza was holding her head. Kasara's magic was unimaginable, giving whoever stood against it a painful battering in an attempt to wear down the spellcaster. Jasel fell over beside Kaleb, but didn't pass out and wasn't overwhelmed. Kaleb's wide wet eyes stared down at her, worried above all else that she might become like Uncle Jaccen. But she didn't have time to focus on him. She had to help Liliza. She bit her tongue to keep from screaming and grabbed the sheets of Kaleb's bed as hard as she could while she continued to stand against Kasara.

Suddenly, another magical aura appeared in the fight. It felt somewhat familiar and somewhat similar to Kasara's, but Jasel couldn't quite tell who it belonged to at first. This new aura was stronger than her own, and even compared to Liliza's. It made fighting Kasara a little easier, and it wasn't long until she felt Kasara pull away.

"_...You cannot escape me forever, freaks. You will grow tired and let down your guard at a time when my son is not around to aid you...And then you will die like your father."_

Kasara's wicked message was the only remnant of her dark presence as her magical barrage ceased to exist. Jasel hissed as she returned to her body, feeling the effects of such a powerful black arts duel. Lukos was sitting on the bed beside her, his hand grasping hers as he lent her his strength. Kaleb looked relieved to see that his cousin hadn't become like Uncle Jaccen, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling or hugging her. Liliza was still clutching her head, but somehow she managed to stand and join the group near the bed. She sat on it before collapsing from the pain. She had taken more of a beating than anyone else. Jasel assumed the battle had been going on even before Liliza had awoken to say Kasara was going to kill them.

"Lily!" Kaleb exclaimed, fearful again.

"…She will be all right," Lukos said, placing his other hand on Liliza's brow.

"How do you know that?" Jasel asked.

"She is strong, and Kasara will not be able to take her down so easily. And I would know that Liliza will be fine because…It is not her time just yet. She shall live for another ten years, give or take a few days," Lukos replied.

"How do you know _that_?" Jasel repeated.

"…Unlike you, Jasel, I was raised to be a spellcaster. Kasara began teaching me how to manipulate the black arts from…the time I was two years of age. I know more spells than perhaps even your sister does. And with such extensive magical training comes special magical abilities. Liliza and Liliane would perhaps know what I speak of…I am sorry that you do not. One of the abilities I received was to see flashes of the future, flashes that the gods see fit to send me. Unfortunately, they sent me a vision…that takes place ten years from now. Liliza is dead…And you and a girl that looks somewhat like you are standing near her corpse with tears streaming from your eyes. That is her fate, so she will not die anytime soon…And neither will you," Lukos told her.

Jasel didn't want to believe him, but she had felt how strong his magic was. He couldn't have been lying.

_Ten years...That's all the time I have left with Liliza, huh?_ Jasel thought sadly. _Well, I guess I'd better not waste it then._

* * *

The goat colossus that was Erriffite sensed the approach of my guards and myself long before young Xenia did, and he walked out of his cave to greet us. He was a huge creature, much larger than Lionheart, that walked on four hoofed feet and could crush an army by just strolling about. He was very grim when we met and he had a right to be. Sleneyn was the closest colossus to him in location and he feared it was only a matter of time until Kasara came to kill him. Xenia hadn't slept last night, and ever since she had come to him she had refused to move from a corner of his cave, whither she sat with her stone knees pulled up to her chest and her elephant head resting on her knees.

We dismounted from the horses and I walked cautiously into the cave. I told the Guards of Teana to remain outside, and those were the same words I told Coldheart and Aslar. Turning Coldheart into a colossus again wouldn't be a problem in Erriffite's cave, but if I tried the same thing with Aslar, it would destroy Erriffite's home. Aslar was just too big of a colossus to be restored indoors. Erriffite came with me for protection purposes, for although he was slow, he delivered a nasty kick.

Xenia's eyes were a color I hadn't seen before in a colossus. They weren't the normal calm blue or fiery orange or even Coldheart's rage-red, but instead a dark purple. I had no idea what that meant, but I knew I had to get her to come out to her father. I turned to Erriffite for an explanation.

"_The color of a colossus's eyes reflects their emotions just like a human's face does, since we cannot move ours because of their stone origins. As you are aware, our eyes are usually just shades of blue and orange. But then Coldheart's turned crimson...And now Xenia's have turned violet. The only explanation I can give for that is that perhaps this means she is terribly miserable and not even blue could show this misery she is now experiencing,"_ Erriffite said. _"I can sense her sadness over the death of her mother, which is why I am saying that that is the reason for the color difference. Will you be able to rid her of her sadness, High Priestess Liliane?"_

"…I can try, but it will not be easy. Losing one's loved one…is not an obstacle easily overcome, and it may never be fully overcome. I can only try to bring Xenia back to us, and thither is no guarantee that I will succeed," I told him.

"_...I have faith in you, High Priestess," _Erriffite stated. _"Xenia, Liliane is hither to see you, and she brought your father with her."_

The elephant colossus's eyes shifted a little, but she didn't move. I expected that—why would she be happy to see the woman Sleneyn had accused of tearing their family apart? I was the reason her father was away for a long time. It should be me that was dead and not Sleneyn. I wondered how much more hateful Xenia would be if she knew what her father had done with me the previous night.

"…Xenia, will you please come outside? I am going to turn Aslar back into his true form, and I want you to see him. He wants to see you, but if I turn him back, he will not be able to fit in hither. Don't you want to see your father?" I asked.

She sniffed and shook her head once. _"...No."_

"Why not?" I wanted to know.

"_...I don't want to speak with you. You...You took Father away from Mother...Made her distrust him...just cuz you turned him human. He fell for your magic...And because of his reluctance to be what the gods made him...Mother is dead...So, no. I don't want to see him. He...He's as responsible for Mother's death...as that witch Kasara," _Xenia replied.

"It's not his fault. Do not blame the only family you have left. Blame me if you will, but leave your father out of this. Kasara is only hither because of me. Had I never been born …Had I never come to the Forbidden Lands…She never would have come. Then again, had I not come to the Forbidden Lands, your parents never would have been resurrected and you never would have been born. But Aslar is not responsible for Sleneyn's death. He couldn't help but be drawn to me because of the effects magic can have on people. I apologize for taking him away, and I do not expect forgiveness. But Xenia…Your father is in pieces. He needs his daughter, he needs something that Sleneyn was a part of…He needs companionship and needs to know you are all right. Hate me, curse me, despise me with all your heart…Just don't turn that on Aslar," I pleaded.

Xenia lifted her head from her knees and looked at me. The color of her eyes was a bit lighter, but still the unusual color of purple.

"_...You...You really care about him, don't you?"_ Xenia inquired.

I nodded once. "I care about him enough to let him go whither he belongs."

The elephant colossus glanced up at Erriffite, not knowing what she should do. They looked at each other for awhile, perhaps engaging in a mental conversation that I wasn't allowed to hear. Then she sighed and moved to stand on hoofed feet that were just like Aslar's. Her one long arm that was like Sleneyn's hung close to the ground, and Xenia made no move to lift it.

"_Let us get this over with," _she murmured.

We returned outside, whither the Guards and the colossi-turned-humans were waiting. Aslar looked slightly relieved when Xenia and I emerged, and I tried very hard to ignore him. Xenia didn't look at him—she kept her eyes on the horizon so she wouldn't chance a glance at him. Soon she wouldn't be able to do that, for he would tower above her and would be too large to look away from.

"Now…Aslar, I will do what I promised to do for you and Sleneyn. Then you and Coldheart will be turned into your true forms again. This will drain me, but I will be fine so long as Kasara is not a nuisance," I remarked. "Prepare yourself, Xenia."

I began to chant a spell directed at Xenia, whose purple eyes would have been wide if she were human. She was very afraid of what I would be doing to her, and via our mental connection I got the same emotion from Aslar. Did they not trust me? It didn't matter. They were going to like what my spell did for Xenia when it was finished…At least, I hoped they would. It would be for her well-being, at least.

Xenia glowed for a moment after my spell was completed, and when it faded thither was nothing considerable different about her. I stumbled a little from the energy drain, but Coldheart caught me before I could fall. He was being awfully kind to me now; I assumed that is was because of one of two reasons: he was glad to be returning to his colossus form…or he loved Liliza and wanted to be nice to her mother.

"…Kasara's spells will have no effect on you ever again…And the hellish blade she wields…can never do any damage to you. You, Xenia Sleneyn-Daughter, are truly immortal now," I stated.

Everyone gaped at me in surprise and or disbelief. Thither was no way to prove that I spoke the truth unless she entered battle with Kasara, and I doubted they would ever risk it. All that mattered was that I knew the truth, and I was sure that Xenia felt that I wasn't lying. The spell would give her a feeling of being stronger, which in turn would gain her trust in my words.

"…I will do that to all the colossi I can so that Kasara can slew them no longer, but I can only do such a powerful spell once a day because of the energy drain. My people will come after them because humans have a greater number, and soon we will all be protected from Kasara and her weapon. Then I can face her and eliminate her from our lives once and for all," I said. "Now, Coldheart and Aslar…You will be colossi again …For the sakes of Xenia and Windwhisper."

Coldheart was the first to become a colossus again. His wolf colossus form was almost a welcoming sight to see, though he made me feel short for the first time in awhile. Aslar was engulfed in a bright light with sadness on his face, which I wished he hadn't done. That expression was the one thing I hoped I wouldn't see on him again, but my hopes had been for nothing. He became a towering ape colossus once more, and he stood looking down at the rest of us.

"_...Let's go home, Xenia," _Aslar muttered, extending his empty hand for his daughter to take. She hesitated at first, but then slipped her much smaller hand into his massive one.

They walked away together, slowly yet faster than a human could run. Coldheart said his goodbyes and ran off to find Windwhisper, leaving the Guards and me with Erriffite and wide open for an attack from Kasara.

But she did not attack, and I didn't expect her to.

My connection with Aslar I blocked off, not particularly liking the feelings he was sending to me. It was time to sever my bonds with him, even if it hurt us. It would be better than leaving him when Kasara's death was absolutely necessary.

It would save him the pain later…

So he wouldn't cry so much…

He wasn't supposed to cry.

* * *

_A/N:_ _End of chapter. What did you think? Please tell me. Thank you for reading._


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Sorry for taking so long to come up with a new chapter. Here we go, though I will warn you that this story is going to be shorter than __**Inside the Fire**__. Please read on._

* * *

Chapter 9

Nine months had passed since I had made Xenia impervious to death by Kasara. A few more colossi and villagers had been slewed before I could save them, but the rest were like Xenia, and Kasara could not hurt or kill them. Among the colossi that had fallen were Crostatine, Shadowcrawler, Corleon, and Sandstorm (most of these were not mentioned in this story, but were spoken of in the prequel). The humans that perished were not well-known to me, but I still cried at their funerals and felt the pain of their loss. As an extra precaution, the magic users of the village kept a magical barrier up against the brown-haired witch. This also kept the majority of the colossi safe because they now spent most their time watching over us in the village.

I was strong enough to do the spell now, but there was a problem on my hands. If I were to do the spell that would be the end of Kasara, not only would my life and the lives of those who would lend their strength for the spell be lost, but so would another inside of me. Yes, I was with child. Everyone thought it was the child of the late Jaccen…But I knew better than to hope it was my husband's. No one else knew of that night whither I laid down with another man, so I let them believe in their own delusions.

Everyone else in the village could not be harmed by Kasara, but I had not taken the time to protect myself. Thither was no point—I would be dead soon enough. Putting any restraint against magic on myself would just make it harder to do the spell in the end. I was the only one she could hurt at the moment, and she knew it well. She and I often entered mental duels of magic, trying to overwhelm the other, but she would always pull away before she could lose. I wouldn't be a part of these endeavors if thither was another choice, for such things could hurt the life inside of me. But if I withdrew, she would surely kill me before finding a way to complete the task Emon had sent her out to do. So I had to risk our lives for the sake of our lives…So to speak.

I had kept my distance from Aslar and kept our mental connection blocked off, which was easier said than done. He would often press against my blockade with the urgent question of "Why?" and I would want to answer him, but knew I couldn't. I also didn't want him to know about my pregnancy, for he would know who the father was just as much as I did. He didn't need my interference in his life anymore; Xenia needed him far more than I would ever need him.

The day would come when Kasara would find a clever way to get at us. She wasn't a fool. When that day came, would I have to sacrifice my life and the life inside of me? I prayed that wouldn't be the case. A child's life was worth more than ten adult lives. She would have to be born before Kasara struck…

I didn't want to take away another member of Jasel and Liliza's family…

It was bad enough their mother and father would be gone…

And Jasel was so excited about the birth of a little sibling…

She would have to be born soon, for their sake more than mine…

* * *

Liliza sat on a rock beside Coldheart, looking down at the lake below her. They were away from the village near the Temple of the Flame Guardian, Melanine. She wasn't thither at the moment—they were all alone. The wind played with Liliza's dark hair, blowing it into her face every now and then. Coldheart watched her with concern in his blue eyes; he was almost like a statue beside her. She didn't want him to go away any time soon. He was her only comfort in times like these.

"…Something bad is going to happen to the village," Liliza muttered without looking up.

"_What do you mean?" _Coldheart asked.

"…I have a feeling Kasara is going to do something…that will take Mother from us. I can't explain it, Cold. Sometimes, I just get these feelings about the future…And thither usually not wrong. It wasn't wrong the last time it came…Something bad happened to Mother when I felt something would the day Kasara appeared in the Forbidden Lands. I guess you could say these feelings are a side effect of being around magic for so long, like Lukos can sometimes see future events. But this time, the bad feeling is stronger. Whatever Kasara is going to do…Mother won't survive it," Liliza replied.

"_...Aslar will stop it from happening. He loves her too much to let her die,"_ Coldheart pointed out.

"She won't let him stop it. Mother would keep him away from the battle. He is the only family Xenia has left, and Mother wouldn't let him foolishly cast aside his life when his daughter's heart is at stake," Liliza remarked. "Thither is no way to stop death or reverse it…Not anymore. Mother could only do it once."

"_And she regrets that with every day that goes by. Six of the original sixteen colossi have been killed again...Thither are only fourteen colossi still alive now. So many lives lost because of two crazy humans' evil desires...It's a sad reality,"_ Coldheart grumbled.

"It only takes one person's delusions to create massive death," Liliza said.

"_True, very true,"_ Coldheart agreed. _"Liliza, would you like to go for a run? I know you're a bit depressed by this feeling that something is going to happen to Liliane, but thither is no use in worrying about things you can't change. Let us run with the wind to clear your head, if even just for a little. What do you say?"_

Liliza gave him a small smile. "How can I say no?"

She climbed onto his back from whither she was sitting and held on tight to his stone armor. He began to run as fast as his legs would go, sending the wind speeding past them with the scenery. Liliza remembered that Liliane had done this same thing on the back of Lionheart and it brought her down just slightly. Lionheart and Liliane had been so close before his death, and very soon she would be dead, too. Coldheart had lost his father, in which they could relate on the pain, but he hadn't lost his mother…Recently. Would they be separated by the pain when Liliane met her inescapable fate? Or would their friendship only continue to grow from their bond? Only time would tell.

Dark clouds were appearing on the horizon…A bad omen. Liliza knew a storm would be coming. What would come with the storm? Would Kasara choose that moment to strike? Would she kill Liliane while she carried another life inside of her? After all, it didn't matter to Kasara what life she took so long as she completed Emon's task. She had to kill all of those tainted with the blood of Liliane and rid the world of the colossi. The latter was impossible because Liliane had protected the colossi from Kasara's magic. But Liliane hadn't protected herself from it. She could be killed with ease.

Jasel had often picked on Liliza for being so concerned about everything. Now she could see why. She thought about all the possible things that could happen so she wouldn't be caught offguard or taken by surprise. Death was something she couldn't prepare herself for, regardless of if she knew it was coming or not. Like with her father…

Liliza felt tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She couldn't have Coldheart seeing her so weak even if he had seen her cry before. It was different then—Jaccen and Liliane had still been alive because Kasara's attempt to kill her mother had failed. Now one of them was six feet under and the other would soon join him. It wasn't right to cry over something that hadn't happened yet. She would have to hold in her sadness until the time came to let it out. And Coldheart couldn't be thither when she did. She had already made a fool out of herself once in front of him.

Coldheart stopped running when he reached the Shrine of Idols. Liliane, despite being pregnant and in constant danger, continued to do her high priest duties every morning and every night. Liliza saw her standing near the altar Devin had laid on for nearly a year, chanting some prayer as she stood thither in a black gown with her blonde hair blowing in the wind. The bump of her belly whither the child was could not be hidden, but it wasn't as big as most women's when they were with child. She was still a very beautiful woman, perhaps even more so than she had been before.

Her Egyptian protectors, the Guards of Teana, allowed Liliza and Coldheart to enter when they approached. Miraculously, not a single one of them had fallen at Kasara's hand. They had entered battle with the wicked witch before, and one of the times they had been unprotected by Liliane's spells. Their armor had been enchanted by their own spellcasters, which kept them from being overwhelmed by her magic. Their skill with blades kept the hellish blue sword from taking their lives as well. Kasara didn't stand a chance against them, and she hadn't gone after them ever since their leader cut her abdomen open during one of their scuffles.

Jasel and Lukos were sitting on the altar together, holding hands as he told her stories of his past. They had no interest in priest affairs—Jasel had always been one to believe in only what you could see, hear, and touch, and Lukos had bad memories of things related to the gods because of Emon and Kasara. The blonde girl listened intently as he remembered things he had done with his father as a child when Kasara wasn't around to teach him magic. She waved at her sister, who smiled, before returning her attention to the male spellcaster. Liliza could tell that those two would one day be husband and wife; thither was no doubting it.

Liliane dismissed the priests—their service was done. She grinned at her dark-haired daughter as she leapt off of Coldheart's back, but Liliza could see thither was heartbreak hidden behind that smile. Did her mother know what would happen to her soon as well?

"How is everything, Liliza?" Liliane asked as she hugged the girl.

"Everything is well, Mother. Thither is no sign of Kasara, the magical barrier is holding up, and the people are content. Everything is almost exactly as it was before Kasara showed up," Liliza replied.

"…Yes. Almost…Things will never be the same as they once were," Liliane murmured.

This was true. Besides the deaths that had been her doing, thither were no longer people coming into the Forbidden Lands. Word had gotten out about the crazy woman trying to kill everyone thither, so even if thither had been people coming, they had turned back to their original homelands so they wouldn't be killed. No one considered the lack of new population a bad thing. At least thither was still room to breathe.

Liliza was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Jasel's bell-like laughter. Lukos had apparently told a funny story about his father and himself that had a humorous ending Liliza had missed. The brown-haired boy was laughing, too—it was the first time she had ever heard him do so. He had always been so serious and morose. Jasel was good for him, it seemed.

"Oh, Lily! Come hither! I made something for you today!" Jasel exclaimed once she had recovered from laughing. Liliza reluctantly walked over to the happy group, afraid she might bring down their mood by just being thither. Jasel pulled something from behind her back and thrust it at her twin. "Ta-da! Now, I know you're nine and a little too old for dolls, but this is the only thing I could think of to make for you! Do you like it?"

The dark-haired girl nodded once. The doll Jasel had made for her was not perfect, of course; it was made of scrap cloth and looked more like a bear without ears wearing a pink dress. But it was the thought that counted, and it was one of the few things Jasel had given her that had been made by her own two hands. Jasel smiled and hugged her sister, happy that she liked her gift.

"Come! Sit! Lukos is sharing his past with me, and you need to be nine instead of forty-two! So sit and listen like the child you are while Lukos makes us happy!" Jasel ordered, pulling Liliza down beside her. "You too, Coldheart! Be thirteen and not a hundred!"

"Is she always this bossy?" Liliza asked with a small smile.

"Pretty much," Lukos replied.

"_And I thought that Mistclaw was bad,"_ Coldheart grumbled as he came over to the altar like Jasel ordered.

"Hey! I heard that!" Jasel growled, glaring at Coldheart. Then she looked at Lukos. "Please continue."

So Liliza joined her sister with Coldheart at her side as Lukos remembered the good times, forgetting about her mother for a short time as she acted her age for once in her life. She allowed her mind to drift away from the horrible world she lived in and into the happy world that was Lukos's memories of his father. Later she would look back on this time with a smile and a tear, remembering how foolish she had been that day, holding a rag doll in her arms while listening to something that had been only half the truth of Lukos's life. She hadn't even noticed her mother sneaking out of the Shrine, hadn't even worried that it might have been the last time she saw her.

What a fool she had truly been.

* * *

Wanderer glanced out at the clouds in the horizon. A storm would be on them in a matter of days, bringing early darkness to the Forbidden Lands. Thither wasn't as much to worry about in the dark now that everyone, including himself, had been enchanted with Liliane's spell. But Kasara was a sly witch. Even if she couldn't kill them with the hellish blue blade or magic, she could find another way to kill them. Another weapon, drying up the land…

Or burning the fields…

Which was what she had appeared to do.

A bolt of lightning had appeared out of nowhere, setting fire to their fields which supplied the majority of their food. The village was working hard to put out the flames, and some of the colossi were lending their own special kind of help. Winphol, the colossus with the head of a bear, came as soon as he saw the smoke with an indented boulder full of water. Faelin and ZZ, the colossus with the long furry beard, followed his example, while Tremyrin, the horse colossus, kicked dirt into the flames to put them out. Aslar did not show up, but that was because he was back at his home with Xenia, far away from the village.

Their efforts worked a little, but since this was a fire created by magic, it could only be put out by magic. A few of the spellcasters that kept a magical barrier around the village came and chanted a spell for rain. They could handle it. Wanderer knew that, and hoped Liliane wouldn't come to put out the flames herself. She was too far into her pregnancy to be tiring herself like that. That child was the last thing she had of Jaccen besides her other two kids—she couldn't risk losing it.

Devin and Kaleb came to his side as they watched the fire. Had it spread any further, it might have made some people homeless. But it was under control now. The magic users had made a rain cloud which was now dousing the 'red flower', eliminating the danger. But more than half of their crops had been destroyed because of Kasara's fire. How could an entire village live off of that?

"We will just have to hunt more," Devin replied when Wanderer voiced his concern. "And thither are plenty of plants to eat in the Forbidden Lands besides what we grow, plants that won't cause us harm. Perhaps the colossi could show us these things."

"You worry too much, Father. So long as Aunt Liliane is in charge, Kasara will not wipe us out," Kaleb remarked with a smile. He had a lot of confidence in his aunt, and he had matured much in the past nine months. Wanderer was very proud of his son.

Wanderer sighed. "Perhaps I do. But it isn't wrong to be so worried. Being worried just makes you prepared for when the worst happens."

"Well, you won't have to worry about food any longer. Look," Kaleb said, pointing.

Whither the burnt remnants of the crops lay, new ones were sprouting before their eyes. This was obviously done by magic, but none of the spellcasters that had doused the flames were chanting anything. If anything, they seemed as surprised as the rest of the villagers to see the plants growing again. Wanderer glanced around to see who might be doing this. It was then that he saw a familiar blonde head in the crowd. He scowled. She shouldn't have been using her energy at a time like this…What about her child?

The villagers returned to their business now that thither wasn't any threat. Only the blonde remained, looking at Wanderer and his family with her observing green eyes. He assumed she could sense his disapproval of her actions by the way she was looking at him, but he had the right to disapprove. Devin walked away from his side and over to her sister, perhaps to clear the air.

"Liliane, you made the crops grow back, didn't you?" Devin asked.

"It was the right thing to do. If I hadn't, the village might have starved…That was Kasara's intention," Liliane replied.

"You know it's dangerous to use magic while you are so pregnant. You could have asked another spellcaster to do it just as easily," Devin pointed out. "That child is the last thing Jaccen gave you…The least you could do is take better care of it and yourself. Do you not care what happens to the child of Jaccen?"

Wanderer saw something flicker behind Liliane's eyes, the same something he often saw when someone mentioned her child and Jaccen to her. "Of course I care."

"Then promise me you won't use any more magic until after the child is born," Devin said. "Promise me that you will be more responsible. Having a child leaves no room for foolishness, Sister."

"I know…And I promise to be more careful and not to use magic unless it is absolutely necessary." After seeing the look Devin gave her, Liliane quickly added, "Which will be _after_ my child is born."

"Good. Now let's get you off your feet. You must be tired. You were all the time when you were this far along with Liliza and Jasel. Thither came the day when you couldn't even get out of bed because of your exhaustion. It might have been because they were twins, but still. It is better to be safe than sorry," Devin stated, putting an arm around her sister's lower back for support.

"To be honest…I am tired. Thank you for your concern," Liliane muttered.

"Wanderer, I will be with my sister in her home. Why don't you take Kaleb hunting today? Our meat rations are getting a little on the low side, and I believe I saw a herd of deer near the village the other day," Devin suggested, glancing at her husband.

"Father, can we track it down please?" Kaleb wanted to know, his blue eyes shining.

"All right, Kaleb. Go grab your bow and quiver and we'll go hunting," Wanderer told him. The boy couldn't contain his excitement—he yelled "Yes!" before running off towards their home to retrieve his weapons. This would be Kaleb's first time hunting deer, so it was no wonder he was so excited about it.

"…I wish I had a son as enthusiastic as Kaleb," Liliane murmured with a smile as she watched Kaleb run.

"Perhaps the gods will bless you with a son this time…or two," Wanderer said.

Liliane smiled at that. Then suddenly, she felt a pain in her stomach. She doubled over; the only thing that kept her from falling was Devin's strength. Something warm trickled down her legs, and she knew what that meant. Wanderer rushed over, expecting this sudden pain to be something Kasara had done. He was wrong, but how was he supposed to know that?

"Liliane! What is it?" Wanderer demanded.

"…Take a guess…that doesn't involve Kasara," Liliane whispered through clinched teeth as the pain returned two times more painful.

"You're going to have the child now, aren't you?" Devin inquired.

"…It seems that way," Liliane replied.

"Wanderer, help me get her to her home. If this child's coming, we don't want her giving birth on the ground, now do we? I can handle everything after that, and you can keep Kaleb away with that hunting," Devin told him, putting Liliane's left arm over her neck at the same time she wrapped her other arm around the blonde's lower back.

Wanderer copied her actions—he had some experience with this from when Kaleb was born. Together, he and Devin helped Liliane get indoors, though they had to stop a few times when the pain was too unbearable. Once Liliane was lying on her bed, the rest was women's job. Wanderer prayed for Liliane's safety before leaving, hoping both his friend and the child would leave that room alive and that he wouldn't come home to his wife crying about one or both of their deaths.

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_A/N: Weird chapter, I know. What did you think? Please tell me. Thank you for reading._


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Sorry for the delay. Here's the next chapter. Please read on and enjoy._

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Chapter 10

Using magic had been admittedly stupid of me, but I had to do it. The village would have starved. Besides, it had the one affect I had hoped it would have. It induced labor so that an hour after Devin and Wanderer had escorted me into my home, another daughter was born unto the world. She had a dark head of hair and colossus-blue eyes, staring into the world for the first time in the arms of Devin. She was already cleared away of anything that was disgusting that I will not describe and was wrapped in cloth. No crying for her; she had been silent ever since she was born.

Choosing a name for her was difficult. With Liliza and Jasel, I had just taken the first part of my and Jaccen's names and added a different ending because they were our children. But I couldn't do that for my new daughter. She was Aslar's and mine, and trying to come up with a name similar to that would just give away the fact that she was not Jaccen's child. What would I name her?

My mind searched through any name I had heard, attempting to pick out one that would work and fit my newborn. One kept coming to mind, but I knew not if it would be acceptable. I asked for Devin to call in the leader of my guards. They had tracked me down easily after I had slipped away from the Shrine of Idols and were back outside my home, doing their duty. She handed the babe over to me before walking over to the door. A moment later, the brawny yet clever leader of the Guards of Teana came into the bedroom, bowing respectfully once inside.

"What do you desire of me, High Priestess?" he asked.

"Mahado," I said, addressing him by his name, for I had learned his and the other Guards' names during the past nine months, "I must request something from you. As you can see, I have just had another daughter. May I have your permission to grant her the name of the priestess who fell when Kasara first became a menace, the name you and your fellows carry with you now? May I call my daughter Teana?"

The dark-skinned man looked taken aback. "You wish for your daughter to take her name? Why, High Priestess…If you do not mind my prying?"

"…She was the first person in this village who died because of me…Teana was such a good woman and priest. I feel it would honor her if her name lived on not just through the Guards, but also through my daughter. I had to ask you first to see if you would approve, Mahado. I do not wish to offend anyone by my name choice," I replied.

"You will not offend anyone, High Priestess. Choosing that name for your child would be most respectful. I believe Teana would be proud," Mahado told her.

"Thank you, Mahado. You may return to your post. In a few hours, we will share dinner." It had become a new tradition for my family and the Guards. A few sun motions before dark, dinner would be served and we would each together, exchanging stories from our pasts while Jasel and Lukos, whom I had taken into my home, would carry on their own conversations. Sometimes the Guards would even bring their families over, which lessened the tensions between me and their wives who missed their husbands. After all, protecting me was a full-time job.

Mahado bowed again before leaving. Devin came back over to my side and took little Teana from my arms. Mothers were supposed to rest a few days after they give birth, but I didn't have that luxury. Teana was already protected like everyone else; I had cast the spell in the blink of an eye because I could feel Kasara nearby. I had also healed my body from the struggles of labor. With a slight bit of pain, I pulled myself to my feet and grabbed a fresh gown from my chest of drawers.

"Whither are you going? You have just had a child," Devin remarked as I changed, a little shocked that I was leaving so early.

"Thither are matters I must attend to now that I no longer have a child inside of me," I stated as I stepped into my sandals, now wearing a light blue gown with green and pink designs sewn intricately into the torso of the dress. "I must go look for someone right now because soon I will be able to eliminate Kasara once and for all."

"But Sister, what about Teana? Shouldn't she be your biggest priority?" Devin inquired.

"I will take her with me. But I must go, regardless."

"You're supposed to rest for a few days before even getting out of bed. You'll tire yourself if you don't do so. Please…Can't this wait until later? It's not like Kasara is going to destroy the Forbidden Lands right this instant."

"Devin, every moment I sit hither waiting is another moment for Kasara to find a way to get around my magical protection on the people. I can sense her nearby, right outside of the barrier. Soon she will try to overwhelm me, and I must be able to fight back. Teana will be safe now. But I must ensure that she and her sisters are safe for the rest of time, and to do so I must act this instant. Devin, do not think me an unloving mother. It is because I love my children that I must go."

"…If you say so…Then I suppose I must believe you. Just…Be safe, Little Sister. I've already almost lost you too many times."

"I shall be safe. I usually am."

Teana was returned to my arms—she still hadn't made a sound. I was beginning to wonder if perhaps she were mute, but even if she was sound might have been made. Mutes just couldn't speak. She was the offspring of two different races…Perhaps that had something to do with it. I stepped outside with her in my arms, and was surprised to see that the Guards were already mounted on horses. It seemed they knew me better than I thought.

Biding Devin farewell, I carefully mounted Amethyst with Teana cradled protectively in one of my arms. She would not fall—I was too experienced at riding with a child in my arms to let that happen. I urged Amethyst into a gallop and we were off, heading for the Shrine of Idols whither I would begin the selection for the two people who would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the safety of the village.

Whoever I chose would have to be in good health, for they needed to have all of their energy when the spell was cast in order for it to work. They would also have to be adult age, but still young enough that they didn't tire easily. No children or elders would be sacrificed. Children had barely begun their lives and elders wouldn't be strong enough and would die soon without my aid. I would look for people in their twenties to early thirties and would turn away anyone not within that age range. Then I would assess health, which would help narrow it down, then I would assess relations. If the person before me was connected to many people who would grieve over their death, they would be turned away. Those that were only close to a few and that fit the other qualifications would be asked to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the village. They would not know that I would be sacrificing myself as well.

I had spread word through my priests about the spell, although I left out the part about me dying for their own good. If they had known the complete cost of such an incantation, they would have forbid me to do it. They had told the villagers in a glorifying way in order to convince them to be assessed, claiming that if they sacrificed themselves for the Forbidden Lands, "they would be heroes for all time." The people alive today might think that, but in the future, our lives would mean nothing. Our names would be forgotten in the sands of time. My priests were too dramatic, as always.

Upon my return to the Shrine of Idols, the priests appeared in the blink of an eye. I had told them that after my child was born, I would come to the Shrine and the assessing would begin. They had seen Amethyst charging from my home and assumed that it was time. They began to call for the people to come to the Shrine, a place they normally weren't allowed in. Those who were looking to be heroes came in great numbers—thither were even some people outside of my age range amongst the crowd. How many people thither were willing to die for the sake of their new homes…

I heard a wail and looked down at the bundle in my arms. For the first time since she had been born, Teana was crying. Perhaps she realized the severe nature of the turnout…And the severe cost of the incantation. Perhaps she knew the truth I had kept hidden from everyone else…The truth that I was going to die saving them from a great evil that was Kasara. She had been a part of me for nine months. Perhaps she had gained knowledge that none of us could have ever understood. I whispered a spell that put her to sleep, tears in my eyes, before taking a seat on Devin's altar and calling in the first person of hundreds to be assessed. My Guards stood loyally beside me, unaware of the turmoil I was in, only looking out for potential danger.

* * *

By nightfall, I was still not done looking through my people. Only two hundred people of the hundreds were assessed, and thither were still so many. I dismissed them for the night, asking that they return tomorrow morning. Watching the numbers return to their homes made me wonder how many days it would take for me to find the two people I needed for the spell.

A few hours before this, Mahado and one other Guard had left the Shrine to make dinner for us and their comrades. They might have been warriors, but they knew how to cook just as well as any woman. We returned home to warm food and hearty drink. Liliza, Jasel, and Lukos were already seated when the Guards and I walked through the door. The table was set. All that was left was to eat.

But Teana had to be taken care of first. I excused myself, telling them to go ahead without me and that I would join them in a few minutes. Jasel's eyes widened when she noticed the bundle in my arms. She asked if she could hold the baby, but I had to decline. Teana needed her own special kind of nourishment and rest, for she was being particularly grumpy because of how late it was. Frowning, Jasel returned to her dinner, muttering under her breath how mean mothers could be. I had to smile at that. Jasel really didn't know how well off she was when it came to mothers.

Teana was feisty and wouldn't nuzzle at first, but I managed to get something into her before she fell asleep. Quietly, I put her into the crib Jaccen had built for Liliza and Jasel when I was pregnant with them. It had been set for another child for awhile now. I tucked her in underneath the sheets and kissed her forehead. Then I left my bedroom with a very heavy heart, thinking about how I would never see Teana grow up or see the women Liliza and Jasel would turn out to be. In a few days' time, I would be gone from this world, leaving behind two children and a baby. I would be with Jaccen again, but it would never be the same. The world would be forever changed after my death, I was sure, because I was one of the most powerful female leaders to ever exist.

When I returned to the dinner table, Mahado was telling one of his stories of life in Egypt. The children were listening intently while the other Guards would sometimes contribute to the tale. I took a seat beside Mahado and listened the best I could, but I was very distracted with my own thoughts about what life would be like when my life ceased and my spirit left this world. Mostly I was concerned for my daughters, but a choice few were also in my heart. Wanderer, Devin, and Kaleb…Young Lukos…Windwhisper, Coldheart, Mistclaw, and Melanine…Aslar and Xenia…The Guards, too. How would they all be when I disappeared from existence? Thither was no way of knowing for sure.

"Mother? Are you well? You're not touching your food," Liliza remarked after Mahado's story was over.

"…Oh. I'm fine, Liliza. I just…don't feel hungry right now," I said, moving my food around on the plate with a fork but not picking it up.

"Is it because you just had our sister and you aren't resting like you're supposed to?" Jasel asked.

I shook my head. "I do not believe that is the reason for my not feeling hungry. Perhaps I am just sick."

"Regardless of the reason, you need to eat something. At midday, you were too busy with your priestess duties to eat and I doubt you had anything at sunrise. Please eat something, High Priestess Liliane. We don't want you weak," Mahado stated. Even when my life wasn't in danger, he was always so concerned about me even when it came down to some of the most trivial matters.

Perhaps the reason Mahado was always so worried about me was because he had no family of his own. No wife, for she had been taken from him by a disease back in Egypt. No children, for his wife was gone before they could try to have any. He was the only Guard that was alone. Teana, the priestess that had died while taking me home so many months ago, was like a daughter to him. He had admitted that to me one night after dinner when no one else was around. He had found her in one of Egypt's villages living on the dirt because her family was dead. Mahado had taken her in and raised her as his own, and somehow she had become interested in the works of priests and priestesses. Because of her duties, Teana hadn't been able to come to the Forbidden Lands at the same time as Mahado. But she had come in time. Unfortunately, Kasara made that time short. Without his adopted daughter, my family and I were all he had left in this world. And he had to protect us. I don't think he could stand losing anyone else.

I managed to get some of the food into my mouth despite my upset stomach. Of course, I wasn't really sick. I was just too concerned about things I had no power over, and that had ruined my appetite. No one else knew that. My mind was my own business—no one else could know what went on inside it. It was not possible, much to my relief. Had it been otherwise, people would have been all over me long ago.

"Mahado, may I speak to you outside?" I inquired quietly while Lukos began telling one of his stories that included Richard but not Kasara.

The Guard nodded once. We left the table without really being noticed, though I felt Liliza's questioning gaze on my back. Thither was something that I had to tell Mahado so he would be prepared. I trusted him more than most people, and I didn't want him to be caught as offguard by the results of the spell as the others. He had lost enough already. I would do the same for my daughters, but then they would go crazy. At least Mahado was a grown man who could cope with loss…Somewhat.

I closed the door behind us and used magic to keep our conversation from being overheard. Only Mahado would hear what I said; no one else would have the chance. The rest of the village was asleep. It was just us now.

"Why have you brought me out hither?" Mahado wanted to know.

"Thither is something important I must confess to you, Guardian Mahado," I said. "You must first promise to never tell a living soul what I reveal to you now, and not to react too emotionally over it. What I am about to say I have never told to another; I have kept it to myself for the sake of the village. Do you promise to keep this a secret?"

"You have my word, High Priestess Liliane. Whatever you say will never be repeated by my lips," Mahado swore.

"Thank you." I took a deep breath, still reluctant to let my one of my biggest secrets out even though only one person would hear and swore never to repeat what he heard. "You have heard of the spell I plan to cast in order to eliminate Kasara for good. It requires two humans sacrifice their energies, which was why I was looking through people today. But thither is something else that is a price to pay for the spell. You see…Whoever casts the spell…And in this case, it would be me…Will die with those who gave her their energy."

Mahado looked taken aback. "…Are you saying that you will die when you cast that spell that will eliminate Kasara?"

"That is exactly what I am saying. It is the only way to ensure that Kasara will never plague us again," I told him. "Mahado, thither is a reason that I am revealing this to you and no one else. I need you to be prepared for my death…And for you to take care of my children when I am gone. I know my sister Devin and her husband would be good parents, but you've been around them more lately and they have grown fond of you. Please…When I die, will you take care of my daughters?"

"…But…But Liliane! What about your village? They know no other guidance than your own!" Mahado remarked, looking absolutely horrified and depressed at the same time.

"Wanderer took control once. He can do it again. And Liliza has been in the Shrine long enough to know how to be a high priestess. My duties can be filled by others well enough," I replied.

"…And…You want me to raise your children? But one is just a babe. How am I to raise her when she is so young? If she were past her first year…Perhaps it would be possible. But not when she is just a day old!" Mahado exclaimed. "How soon do you expect to perform this spell, anyway?"

"Soon. In a few days, maybe," I answered. "And you mustn't worry about that. I will find a midwife for her that will take care of breastfeeding Teana. I am not worried about her so much as I am worried about Jasel and Liliza. Not only will they have lost their father, but soon their mother will be gone. They will need an adult to be thither for them, one that they have seen often. I will understand if you are not up for the task. I just thought you would make a good…guardian for them as they grow into women. I know you never really had your own children…The priestess Teana was the closest thing to a real daughter you ever had. But you've got a fatherly instinct about you. I know you will be great for the girls. You can teach them to be warriors like Wanderer taught me. You can teach them to be strong. You can teach them everything I won't have the chance to do myself. I trust you, Mahado. If I didn't, I would never have brought you out hither to tell you that I will die."

"…I am compelled to do as you ask of me, Liliane. I don't want to see those girls suffer from your great sacrifice, and they are such good children. When you die for the Forbidden Lands, then I would be honored to raise your children."

"Thank you, Mahado. I only wish it didn't have to come to this."

After this, Mahado and I wrapped each other in our arms. Tears were in both of our eyes, for we had become close friends over the past few months. To never see him again and for him to never see me again would be very difficult. But death occurred every day; it was part of the cycle of life. Life would continue long after we all perished.

But I would still miss him and the others, regardless.

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_A/N: This was kinda a short chapter, but I hope it didn't take away from it in any way. What did you think? Please tell me. Thank you for reading._


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Here's another chapter for you, Freelancer...Please read on and enjoy!_

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Chapter 11

_**Lukos, you cannot escape me. I trained you. You are mine to control, boy.**_

The young boy tossed and turned in his sleep, plagued by Kasara's mental voice. She was attacking him when he was most vulnerable…At night when the magical twins were asleep in their beds, their mother was asleep in hers, and he was trying to sleep on the makeshift mattress the Guards had made for him. She wasn't trying to overwhelm him like she would have done any other person in that home—she was trying to get him to work for her.

_**You are my son. I raised you better than that treacherous Richard ever did. I made you who you are today. Remember everything I've ever taught you, Lukos. Remember why I trained you in the ways of the black arts. It was for the sole purpose of aiding me in battle against freaks like Liliane and her family. Kill them, Lukos. Kill them.**_

_No! I will never kill them!_

_**Why is that? What have they done for you?**_

_They've actually cared about me for who I am. They haven't persecuted me for being your son. They let me be the child I am and do not force me to grow up faster. They are kind and compassionate and would never hurt me. They want to hear the stories I tell about my past and want to know about how my day was. Can you say the same, Kasara?_

_**You're NEVER supposed to address your mother by her first name!**_

_Of course you can't. From the moment I was conceived, you saw me as just a possible weapon to take down some woman who didn't turn out like you thought she would. As soon as I was old enough to walk, speak, and obey, you started training me in the black arts in hopes that I would be your backup blade in case you broke. You never cared about me like a mother is supposed to care about her son. You forced me to become an adult when I was nothing more than a child. When I did something that didn't suit your needs, you would beat me senselessly or cast a spell that would do me harm. Thither was never any kindness or compassion in you. And if I ever spoke a word without your permission that wasn't related to magic, physical or magical punishment was dealt to me._

_You made me believe all mothers were like you because you wouldn't let me out of the home except to be with my father on hunts. You made me think that all children were supposed to be like me. But then we came hither...And I saw how loving mothers could be. Liliane, the very woman you raised me to kill...was a better mother than you even though she had the same powers as you. She didn't force her daughters to learn magic. She didn't beat them or hurt them with spells. She was a kind and compassionate soul, and that rubbed off on Jasel and Liliza. Liliane only hurts people who hurt her family and friends, namely you. She lets people speak their minds without dealing them physical damage unless what they say is a threat. She is a real mother, Kasara. You...You are just the woman who carried me in her womb for nine months. The title of mother will never apply to you._

…_**Well, aren't you the little traitor. Perhaps the Freak's magic has dominance over my own. The way she swayed you over to her side is proof of that.**_

_She has cast but one spell on me, and that spell protects me from any harmful incantation you would ever use against me._

_**Not quite, Lukos. You've forgotten that necklace Richard gave you. You know, the one with the bobcat's teeth? You wear it around your throat every day, along with that stupid talisman the blonde brat gave to you months ago.**_ (Chapter 8.)

Without being consciously aware of it, the brunette boy clutched the said necklace in his hand, for it was the only thing he had left of his father. _What of it?_

_**I enchanted it long ago. You see, I was prepared for any tricks the Freak might pull when we faced her again. I assumed she might cast such a spell on you that would make my present magic useless against you, but such incantations have no effect on previously enchanted objects. Now all I need to do is activate it and you'll be mine to control.**_

_...I'll fight you, and you know I can hold you off._

_**You can't do that forever, my son. I am more powerful than you.**_

_I'll be able to hold you off long enough...to put distance between us._

_**Between **_**us**_**? Oh, you mean the Freak and her brats! Good luck with that, Lukos. If you plan on getting away from them, I would start running right about now.**_

Lukos felt her tapping into the necklace with the bobcat's teeth to release its manipulative powers that had been locked away for years. Jasel's talisman was trying to fight her magic off, but since it was made by a girl who wasn't really a magician, it wasn't strong enough. The boy's eyes flashed open as he began to fight against Kasara, and he knew he needed to get away as soon as possible. Her magic was far stronger than his own; it was only a matter of minutes before her enchantment took over. Quickly, he stood and ran, not even bothering to put his shoes on before taking off through the hut.

Using magic, he managed to silence himself and keep the ever-observant guards from seeing him as he sped past them. It was still night, but the sky was starting to gain some lighter color to it at the horizon. Lukos had no idea why Kasara had waited for dawn to harass him. He never understood how that woman's mind worked. He didn't have time to ponder her choices, either. Already, the enchanted necklace he wore was starting to gain control of him.

Though it might have saved him some trouble, Lukos could not bear to throw away the very thing that was trying to turn him evil. It was something Richard had made for him when he was six and they had gone on their very first hunting trip. He had watched his father shoot a bobcat with an arrow from hundred feet away, thus was whither the teeth had come from. His father had taken the time to take the sharpest teeth out of the carnivore's mouth and fix them into the necklace for his boy. Ever since then, Lukos had never taken it off. And now it was all he had left of Richard. He couldn't bear to lose it, even it would save him from getting blood on his hands.

Time was running out, and he wasn't nearly far enough away from Jasel to not cause her family harm. He remembered an incantation that would transport him a vast distance, but could only be cast by a spellcaster his age once before he was too exhausted. Those magical words flowed through him, and in an instant he found himself staring at the empty trail that he had taken to get to the Forbidden Lands in the first place…Nearly a year ago. He was pretty far back—to return to the village by foot from this distance would take about a day. Lukos smiled, proud that he had delayed Kasara's plan by even a little bit, before her spell fully took effect.

"Are you ready to stop being so defiant?" a bitter woman's voice asked as a dark silhouette appeared at his side in the breeze.

"…Yes, Mother. Whatever you wish of me, I shall do it," Lukos replied in a monotone, his blue eyes now a clouded gray color.

The wicked woman smiled. "Good. But before we go after the Freak, we must visit her beloved colossus. She's been neglecting him for some time. Someone should put the poor ape out of his misery…And reunite him with his mate in Hell, don't you think?"

"Whatever you say, Mother," Lukos murmured.

The two transformed into a raven and a crow using their magic. Kasara the Crow took the lead as she led her son the Raven to the destination she wished to go.

In her talons, she held the hellish blue blade that was the death of all colossi.

* * *

"Mother!" Jasel cried, running into my room. "Lukos is missing!"

I yawned and slowly moved into the seated position in my bed. Teana was already awake, but she hadn't made a noise. Thither was no telling how long she had been up. The sun was just over the horizon, bringing with it the start of a new day…One of my last days on Earth. Jasel looked frantic and worried, and she wasn't wrong in being so. Lukos wasn't one to just leave without saying a word, especially not in the middle of the night.

"Do you have any idea whither he might have gone?" I asked as I stood.

"No! But Mother…He left without even putting his shoes on! He must have been in a hurry! Maybe Kasara did something that forced him to act! Or maybe she lured him outside of the barrier and killed him! Mother, we have to find him!" Jasel exclaimed.

"We will, Jasel. I promise you that we will find him," I said, placing a comforting arm around my daughter's shoulders. "Give me time to prepare, and then I will seek him out with my magic, all right?"

"…Can I take care of the baby? She's starting to stink up the hut," Jasel murmured.

I knew she was just trying to distract herself while I got dressed, so I allowed her to deal with Teana. Lukos's sudden and swift disappearance was something to worry about, though I doubted she would have been able to kill him. It wasn't just because I had protected him with my spells that rendered her magic useless against him, but also because he was her son. She had trained him ever since he was two to use magic. They had bonded…Somewhat. Killing him would not have been as easy as killing Richard. Richard had not been a part of her for nine months. He had not been her flesh and blood. Lukos was. She wouldn't have killed him, regardless.

"Kasara," Liliza muttered, coming into my room after I had changed.

"…What of her?" I inquired as I turned to face her. Jasel was looking at her too while she held a less-smelly Teana in her arms.

"She's the reason Lukos disappeared. I heard her speaking to him while we were asleep …I thought it was just a dream, but when I woke up and he was missing I realized my foolishness," Liliza told us.

"What did she tell him? What did she want him to do? Why is he gone?" Jasel wanted to know.

"…She enchanted the necklace Richard gave him…so that she could take control of him if ever her present magic were rendered useless. He couldn't hold her off for long, so he ran in order to put distance between those she wanted dead and himself. He managed to teleport himself a day away from the Forbidden Lands before the spell took full control of him. Now he and Kasara have transformed into birds, and they are flying towards Aslar's home with Xenia. And Kasara carries the blue blade in her claws," Liliza explained.

My heart dropped into my stomach upon hearing that. Kasara had found a way around my protective spells. She was planning on using Lukos to do her dirty work for _years_. And now she was going after Aslar and Xenia. How dare she…

"…But…But the colossi cannot be killed by that weapon, right?" Jasel asked.

"I wasn't strong enough to make the weapon completely useless. In order to do that, I would have had to destroy the sword myself. Only in the hands of Kasara is the blue blade useless. If placed in Lukos's hands, it will have the power to kill the colossi again," I admitted.

"Then we must get to them before Kasara forces Lukos to do something stupid!" Jasel exclaimed. "Mother, I know you are busy looking for two people to sacrifice themselves for the village's sake, but you must help Lukos! We all must help him! We're all he has left in the gods-forsaken world! Will you please go after him and free him from her magic?"

She was very pleading, and I couldn't deny her of this. Lukos was an innocent boy who had been raised by a wicked woman that was now forcing him to do what she was no longer able to do. If thither was a chance we could rescue him, then I would delay Kasara's end a little longer for his sake…And Jasel's. It was obvious how she really felt about him; I could not deny her the future destiny planned for them.

"Liliza, inform the Guards whither we are heading. And tell them to ready the horses," I said authoritatively, not portraying how I truly felt about this whole situation because a leader kept her thoughts to herself.

My dark-haired daughter nodded once before disappearing as quickly as she had come. Jasel followed with Teana in her arms. Just before my newborn was no longer in view, I recognized tears in her eyes that were as blue as the colossi's—silent tears that were uncommon upon babes. It was if she knew what I was feeling inside…The pain of another possible death that should have been avoided. Her father's life was on the line once again, and I bet she knew it just as well as I did. She had been a part of me recently and we had shared a connection that I hadn't shared with anyone else save Jasel and Liliza, but that connection had been long severed for them. Then she was gone with her older sister and I was left alone for the time being.

I knew I had to warn Aslar of the danger coming to him on dark wings, but after months of keeping a mental barrier against him, I was reluctant to reach out to him with my mind. Once that channel opened again, I didn't know if I could contain all of my thoughts from seeping into his head. Everything that had happened to me that he hadn't been around to witness would come out…And my plan for the spell might slip. Could I really chance that?

If it meant his life and the life of his colossus daughter would be saved, then I had to risk revealing everything.

_Aslar, can you hear me?_

Thither was only silence as my response at first, but mentally I felt his mind flicker in surprise from the sudden question that came from someone who hadn't seen him since after they had lain together.

…_**Liliane…It has been awhile, hasn't it?**_

_It has. And I'm sorry for putting so much distance between us, Aslar. It was...necessary. If it had been otherwise, I would not have been away from you for so long._

_**What was so necessary about avoiding me after that night? Why could you no longer come and visit, or send a mental hello every now and then? Tell me that, Liliane.**_

I hesitated a moment. Already, I was having trouble keeping a flood of memories and thoughts from flowing into his mind. Perhaps if I focused on holding back the things that would get him overprotective of me…The parts about the spell…Then this would be easier. It was, after all, only fair that he know what became of that night that separated us for all of this time.

So I let him see and hear what he had missed of me in hopes that he would understand, if even just a little, what had caused me to sever my connections with him. Teana was just a small reason why, but that was all he was going to know. The bigger reason was that I didn't want to hurt him when I died with the two sacrifices. Colossi like him weren't made to cry. He had already lost one lover twice in his lifetime. Wasn't that enough?

…_**Well, I did not expect all of this to be your response to two simple questions,**_ Aslar remarked after some time. _**We have a daughter now? Who knows what she will turn out to be…Since she is of two species of different sizes and capabilities. I am surprised thither is nothing colossus about her yet. But she is very beautiful, much like Xenia was when she was born. Only Teana is much, much smaller. And she has your face instead of that of an elephant.**_

_She has your eyes._

_**I'm glad she inherited at least two things from me. My only regret…is that our laying together took away from the chances that you might have had in taking out Kasara sooner.**_

_...Yes...About Kasara..._

_**What of her?**_

_She has taken control of her son and they are flying your way now with the blue blade._

…_**I thought you protected Lukos from her magic and you protected us from death by that damned weapon.**_

_She found a way around all of that. It seems she was prepared to come after us years before I knew she would come. I'm sorry, Aslar...I truly thought I had thwarted her plague for the time being..._

_**Oh, don't go being sad just because you could not see the future. No one's perfect, Liliane, not even you. And that's why I love you so much.**_

_...Aslar, you and Xenia must leave the Fallen City. You must run. The longer you remain thither, the greater the chances we will not be able to stop Kasara from using Lukos to kill you and your daughter. Please...You must get out of thither right now. I don't want you to die._

…_**I will try to put distance between us, but birds are much faster than creatures made of stone. You cannot expect us to get too far from them if they are in the forms of winged beasts.**_

_Just try, Aslar. That's all I can ask of you._

_**I will try. I love you, Liliane.**_

_...I love you, too, Aslar. Hopefully, I will see you soon._

Mahado came into my room. Not a lot of time had passed; the whole mental conversation had only taken about five of your modern-day minutes to complete. I assumed he was hither to ask a certain question, for he was the only one who knew of what I planned to do in a matter of days.

"High Priestess Liliane, do you plan on doing the spell when we face Kasara?" he asked, a look of worry cleverly concealed behind an emotionless mask.

I shook my head. "I would need to find two suitable sacrifices and I am not at full capacity yet. And I wouldn't dare cast such a powerful spell with Lukos in the way. He does not deserve to die just because Kasara is using him like a puppet. Do not worry, Mahado. I shall not leave this world today."

A look of relief passed over his face, but it quickly disappeared because he was a warrior and could not show emotion so frequently. We went outside and mounted our horses whither the others were waiting. Jasel no longer had Teana—she had taken the babe over to Devin's while I reached out to Aslar so she wouldn't be in harm's way. I insisted that she and Liliza stay behind as well, but the light-haired girl just shook her head and refused to dismount. Liliza said and did nothing, but the look in her crimson eyes told me she wouldn't leave, either. Sighing, I led the charge through the Forbidden Lands towards the remains of a city that had existed long before the village I had established…

We charged towards the place my love called home.

* * *

Xenia was running as fast as her stone legs would allow her to go, and her young age and smaller build kept her at a speed beyond what Aslar was going. He had explained that they had to get to the village, and though at first she refused to because she didn't see why they had to, she eventually understood the urgency her father was feeling. Her long arm was dragging a bit, but as long as she kept up the pace, she had a great chance of getting away. Her weight barely made the earth tremble.

Aslar had, in his hurry, dropped his huge stone sword in the ancient city that had been full of people before Emon had come to the Forbidden Lands (this is mentioned in _Inside the Fire_). It had allowed him to move faster, but even without it a human could still outrun him at his walking pace. Xenia was a different story, of course, because of her stature. He couldn't really run, for if he did, he would cause the earth to shake much worse than it already was. Every step he took the earth would shudder, but if he ran, all the water sources in the Forbidden Lands would erupt with terrible waves and any life thither was in the Forbidden Lands would topple over; they would have no chance to stand. It might make his chances slimmer, but at least he wasn't hurting anyone as badly as he could have.

He had to admit to himself, Liliane's sudden mental connection had caught him completely offguard. A part of him had always hoped she would speak to him again, but another part had let the beautiful human woman fade away into the past. He had never truly forgotten about her; the other colossi would always tell him what she was up to in the Forbidden Lands. He had known she was pregnant, but it hadn't dawned on him that the child inside of her could have been his. Now that they were in contact again, he wanted to see her and the girl she had named Teana after the priestess that had died in her house…The first victim of Kasara's plague. One part of him resented her for leaving him in the dark for so long, but he understood her motives. She was ashamed that she had slept with another man so quickly after her husband had died…And he had been ashamed that he had been with a woman so soon after his mate had died for the second time.

All colossi were connected to the lives around them. They were the reason life spawned in these lands, for when they had died beforehand all the life had disappeared. So Aslar could sense the birds-that-were-not-birds that were closing in on them already, the birds-that-were-not-birds that had been a day's walk away from the Forbidden Lands just a few sun movements ago. Birds could fly farther than humans could walk, and these bird-humans had used that to their advantage. He urged Xenia to keep running even though he knew she could sense them just as easily and was aware how close they were. If it came down to it, he would make the same sacrifice as the late Lionheart—he would die protecting his child so she could get away.

The birds-that-were-not-birds dropped from the sky, in the guise of a crow and a raven. The crow transformed into the silhouette of a woman while the raven turned into the solid form of a brown-haired boy. Aslar had seen Lukos before when Liliane had made him human and he recognized that the boy was not acting of his own free will. His normally blue eyes were gray and misty, and he didn't appear to be all thither. The silhouette of the woman handed Lukos something—in the sunlight, it became clear just what that thing was. It glistened hellishly in the rays, reflecting blue towards the ape colossus's eyes. Xenia almost stopped running when she sensed they had landed, but Aslar shot her a quick mental urging that kept her running. He himself was stationary.

"You've come to face death with a brave face, haven't you, creature of the hell-gods?" a familiar sinister voice asked, coming from the dark silhouette with no face.

"_At least I am not afraid to show my face," _Aslar countered.

"I am not afraid to let the world look upon me, hell-creature. I am hither in physical form just as much as you. The reason you cannot see me is because much of me is within Lukos, controlling his actions. If it were otherwise, you would see my hateful expression just as you normally would," Kasara remarked.

"_Say what you will, cowardly bitch. I still believe you don't want your face exposed to the world because you know you are powerless to protect yourself from their scrutiny and hatred any longer," _Aslar muttered. _"You will pay for all the lives you have taken."_

"Are you still sore because I killed Sleneyn?" Kasara inquired in a taunting manner. "Well, don't you worry your huge stone head off. You will soon be joining her and your dead son, and so will your daughter. Too bad I won't be the one that actually puts you out of your misery. My boy gets to have that pleasure."

"_I am not in misery," _Aslar growled.

"If you've lain with that freak Liliane, then you are." Kasara turned her dark form towards her son. "I tire of this conversation. Lukos, kill him. Then we will go after his daughter…And then his other daughter, you know…The human one."

The possessed boy murmured an incantation under his breath. Aslar felt himself become immobile as the magic worked its way into his body. This magic felt nothing like Liliane's had, but it also didn't contain the purity a child's magic should. It had the feeling of pure evil, and he assumed that was because Kasara was controlling it. He couldn't move his eyes, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Lukos rise in the air, the blue blade in his hands. Aslar had two vitals—on top of his head and the palm of his right hand. Usually, the hand vital would have been unreachable due to the fact that he held a sword thither day in and day out. But he had left the sword behind for speed's sake, and now it would be easy to slay him.

Lukos was forced to go after the vital in Aslar's hand first, since it was closest to him. Aslar tried to forget about the pain he was about to go through by remembering memories of his days with Sleneyn…All the way back to when they were first created by the gods. She had been the first female colossus he had laid eyes upon and the most beautiful to that day. They had been destined to be together, just as Lionheart and Melanine were and Faelin and Winphol were and Sandstorm and Nymphine were. But three of these destined mating couples had been broken up…Only Faelin and Winphol were still together. Aslar wasn't completely alone…Somehow he had ended up falling in love with a human…

He couldn't help but mentally scream as he felt the sword stab into his palm. It hurt just as badly as when Wanderer had done it over nine years ago, and black blood began to spew from the wound like a dark geyser. The memories helped to take his mind off the pain, but once the boy finished with his hand and moved to his head, how was he to take his mind off that pain?

_**Hold on, Aslar! We're coming! Please hold on for as long as you can!**_ Liliane's voice pleaded in his mind via their mental connection.

The poor colossus didn't even have the strength to respond to her with his mind. All he could do was remember to forget the pain and ignore the evil Kasara's laughter at his pain. Somehow his mind turned to the night he had lain with Liliane in the bed that had been shared by her and Jaccen before the noble man had been killed…And before Sleneyn had been taken from him again.

He had been human for quite some time, but he had been completely new at the whole concept of loving in the ways that humans loved. In the world of colossi, thither weren't beds or clothes or anything but a melding of bodies for a brief moment. Thus it was in the ways of the wilderness. Love was a brief thing for most creatures. But it wasn't the same for humans. Love was meant to last a lifetime and be a tender bonding. Liliane had known this from her nights with Jaccen, and she had taken him into a realm he had never ventured into before that night. He remembered that single night so vividly compared to the millions of others he had lived to see…even compared to his nights spent with Sleneyn. He remembered how beautiful Liliane had looked in the moonlight, how soft her skin really was, how gentle her lips were…He remembered every touch, every movement, every sound, everything that had gone on between them that night…And it was something he never wanted to forget.

It helped him to forget the pain he was feeling now…

And brought back what he had missed during their nine months of separation.

He didn't care that he was forcing Liliane to relive that night, and from their connection he could feel that she remembered it just as vividly. It was a coping mechanism…And something he wanted to live to participate in again. The chances of that were slim—Lukos was already starting for his head.

Colossi could never love like a human because of the way the gods had made them…

But Aslar wanted to love Liliane like that.

He wanted to enter that realm again with her.

Too bad he was about to die.

"Lukos! Stop!"

The boy halted, the blade posed for stabbing, at the sound of Jasel's voice. Aslar could not see the girl, but he sensed her life and the lives of her companions. Liliane was among them, and she was absolutely horrified and sad and afraid. Her heart was racing as fast as it had when she had almost died.

"No, Lukos! Finish him! Kill him now!"

* * *

"Lukos! Stop!" Jasel exclaimed as they reached the sight they hadn't wanted to see.

The boy halted at the sound of her voice, the blade posed over Aslar's head like it was ready to stab down. The ape colossus could not move and that was probably due to magic. His right hand was bleeding badly—black blood shot out as if it was part of a geyser and stained the sand with its dark color. Jasel dismounted long before her sister, the Guards, and even her mother and ran towards the stilled colossus.

"No, Lukos! Finish him! Kill him now!" the dark silhouette that must have been Kasara ordered, standing in the shadow of the towering creature.

Lukos looked as if he might listen to his mother, and it wasn't his fault. He was under her spells that he had no power to fight against. Jasel, out of rage more than anything, turned to the dark form of Kasara and charged at her. She thought the woman wouldn't have been solid, but she managed to ram right into the dark figure. The silhouette fell over, muttering something under her breath even though she knew her magic was useless against Jasel. But she wasn't planning on hurting the girl with her own magic. She reached out and grabbed the girl around with a dark hand that no light could show through. Jasel began to panic.

"My son, you must kill the colossi! I will take care of this brat myself!" Kasara shouted.

Somewhere in her dark form, Kasara unsheathed a knife and held it at Jasel's throat. The little girl glanced over at the Guards and her sister and mother. Both of the spellcasters were quickly muttering spells under their breath while the Egyptians were waiting to be told what to do. They were just warriors, powerless in a battle that dealt with magic. And it wasn't like they could just charge in to save Jasel when she had a blade at her neck.

Lukos saw his mother holding a blade at Jasel's throat and at first thought nothing of it. But then that wasn't really him. The real him was being suppressed by Kasara's black arts, and the real him was now starting to fight for control. The blue sword the was death for colossi dropped from his hands to the ground, whither it found itself embedded in the dirt, as he and Jasel's talisman fought for his right to be in control of his own body. Then, in the blink of an eye, he appeared by Jasel's side and pushed Kasara back with a powerful force that sent her and her weapon careening into a boulder yards behind them.

Kasara, now fully visible in all of her human glory, scowled at them from their distance. Aslar was released from Lukos's spells now that the boy was in control of himself and Liliane was working on healing his hand. Lukos glared at her, daring her to try to come at them again. As much as she would have loved to, she had a set date that would be the time to strike, and it was not that day…As of then.

"In three days…Your doom shall be at hand," Kasara hissed before disappearing in the breeze.

With her gone, Lukos reached down to help Jasel up, for she had fallen after he had magically pushed Kasara away. She hesitantly took his hand and smiled at him, and once she was on her feet again she couldn't stop herself from hugging him. He smiled too, glad to be in control of himself and still not have any deaths on his shoulders. The girl got enough courage to give him a peck on the cheek, which caused him to go red in the face.

"Lukos…I was so worried that we might have been too late. I thought…She was going to use you to kill us and…I'd never see you again," Jasel murmured with tears in her eyes. "How did you…break free of her spells?"

"…I saw her threatening your life…And I couldn't have her killing you. You're not supposed to die," Lukos replied.

"The future can always change," Jasel remarked. "And our future is on a deadline."

* * *

_A/N: Weird chapter, long chapter...long weird chapter. I can't believe I can write stories that involve somewhat mature content when I am only 14 and have never actually participated in anything of the kind. This chapter was just weird to me, but what did you think? Please tell me. Thank you for reading._


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: No reviews on the last chapter last that I checked. But that's okay. I'm going to finish this, regardless. Here's another chapter. Please read on._

* * *

Chapter 12

The Shrine was crowded when I returned. Aslar was with me again, but he couldn't go inside of the Shrine of Idols with me unless I turned him human, and that wasn't an option at the moment. I needed all of my energy for what lie ahead in the near future that Kasara had planned for us all.

Three days…That was all the time I had to prepare for what could be the end of the Forbidden Lands.

Three days…That was all the time I had to choose two people to die.

Three days…That was all the time I had left with my family.

Three days until I joined Jaccen in the heavens.

Three days until I left Aslar behind forever.

Three days until my life ceased.

Three days.

It seemed like a longer span of time before, but now it seemed too short. So many things I needed to do before then, so many people I had to speak to before the third sunrise after this day. And I had to protect my people until that day. Thither was no telling what Kasara might pull while waiting for her deadline. I wanted to take no chances. And I didn't want to leave this world with regrets about things I left undone. Anything I had neglected to do must be done before Kasara pulled her trick on the Forbidden Lands.

The sudden deadline made searching through the masses easier. Those who seemed to have the potential were told immediately and those who didn't match my specifications were turned away. Around fifty were among the chosen potentials, and that number would be reduced soon. Thither were still many to see, many I had to decide if their fate was to end in my hands or continue because they weren't unworthy of my touch. This day would last longer than the previous one—the sooner I finished this, the better for us all.

I had seen many of the people in my village, if not all, but knowing their faces and knowing them personally were two different things. I hadn't expected to see anyone I was close to in the crowd. They would know better than to think that I would let them sacrifice themselves for the sake of the village. They would be turned away immediately.

But apparently, I was wrong.

A priest was sending a man who was a little too old away, and she was standing right behind him. My eyes widened at the very sight of her dark hair and pale skin that would not accept color no matter how long she remained in the sun, not believing what they were showing me. Teana was in her arms, asleep. If my child had been awake, she might have had that sad and all-knowing look in her eyes that she always seemed to have. She might have cried, which was what I felt like doing at that moment.

"…Devin…What are you doing hither?" I asked.

My sister smiled a grim smile. "I came to see if I could be one of the ones sacrificed."

Without even assessing her in the same way I had done everyone else, the simple word passed through my lips.

"No."

"Why are you not even considering me? I fit the qualifications. I am in my twenties, am relatively healthy, and I am not that close to people. Why do you turn me down so easily?" Devin wanted to know, frowning.

"…Because you are my sister…The only family I had for years. And because your death would drive Wanderer insane. You see the idols hither," I said, indicating the ones on either side of the Shrine. Some of them were in ruins because their colossus had died. "They were all in ruins the last time you died because Wanderer killed to have you back. I cannot have him doing that again. I cannot have my best friend left to raise your son alone when he is in such grief. Tell me, Sister…Why did you even think I would let you sacrifice yourself?"

Devin was obviously embarrassed to be called out in front of so many people, but she did not let that hinder her from answering. "…I am a failure to Wanderer. I am nothing more than a simple woman who was only able to give him one son. I am of no use to anyone other than keeping the house in order. Dearest Liliane, you are the one with the powers in our family. You inherited everything, and have been no disappointment to the husband you had. Wanderer pays more attention to you than he ever does me. I thought…that perhaps if I became a hero…Then maybe people would recognize me too, you know. They wouldn't just see me as the girl who died because Emon thought I would destroy the village…Or just the high priestess's sister. I thought…that I might be special after all if you let me try to become a hero…And that Wanderer would finally take notice of me again. Our marriage is a lonely one, Sister. We hardly spend any time with one another anymore, and I fear he may have lost interest. This was my last chance of getting him to come back to me, the girl he risked everything to bring back. What else can I do?"

My sister seemed heartbroken and depressed, so unlike the happy girl she had been before death. Even after she had been brought back, she hadn't been this glum. This was the first time in years that I had seen her frown and come close to tears without a huge tragedy striking. Was her life really falling apart like she said?

I knew it would be rude, but thither was no other way to find the truth. My magic seeped into her mind without resistance, as she had never practiced the same arts that I had. Our parents had been magic users; I had discovered that when I was a young girl when looking through their scrolls, and I had learned the craft very well while Devin stayed away from it. She couldn't protect her mind like I could, but even if she could, I doubt she would have done so at the moment. It was like she had expected me to enter her mind. She didn't even shrink away from the foreign force in her head like every other normal human would have done.

Many of her memories flashed through my own mind dating back to when she had come back from the dead. The happiness in Wanderer's eyes when he saw her again…The love he possessed when he held Kaleb in his arms for the first time…The hidden feelings he hid in those oceans of blue when she didn't have another child…How his emotions surfaced when a problem arose, like the problems of the village were more important than her…Watching him leave so quickly when I was in trouble…Watching Kaleb follow in his father's footsteps when it came to being around her…Being left alone. And with her memories came the feeling of pain, sadness, disappointment, and heartbreak amongst other negative emotions that made me feel like ripping my own heart out.

Withdrawing from her mind, I came to realize that I had been the same with Jaccen. He and Devin had been neglected equally by me and Wanderer. We really should have hung on to our loved ones better, and not taken them for granted with Kasara looming over our heads like a curse we couldn't shake. I had failed to see this before Jaccen had been taken from me, but Wanderer and Devin still had a chance to make things right.

"…My decision still stands, Devin," I said after some time. "You cannot decide that just because Wanderer has neglected you and you haven't been able to have another child that you are unworthy of life. Give it time, my dear sister. He will come around…And life may be made inside of you again. These things take time. Please…Just don't think about facing death. Too many lives have been lost already, and two more will be gone within three days. Yours shouldn't be one of them."

Devin smiled, but it seemed too forced to be real. "All right, Liliane. Thank you for seeing me. I shall see you later, I suppose. Good day."

And then she walked away, but my anxiety did not go with her. I had to focus to assess the remaining people whose numbers came to around five hundred. I might have been able to go through another hundred by a moon motion after nightfall. But I was too distracted by Devin that I took longer to look into people's minds than usual. One question kept plaguing my mind.

What would Devin do now?

* * *

Devin returned to her home with Teana in her arms, feeling a little less depressed than she had been before going for judgment by her sister. The babe was still asleep, though the child had only been so for a little while. She had refused to close her eyes until Devin had been a few paces away from seeing Liliane. Why she had chosen that moment to fall asleep was beyond Devin's comprehension, but she had taken it as a sign that even Teana didn't want to see her rejection.

She laid the newborn in the old crib that had held Kaleb eight years ago, covering her with a thin blanket just in case it became chilly. Then she went to begin dinner as she usually did around this time of day. The hut was otherwise empty, for Kaleb and Wanderer had gone hunting earlier. They had left after Teana had been dropped off and were still not back. Devin assumed the game was eluding them and they were still after it, as they never came home empty-handed even if it took until night fell. Whenever those two went hunting, she would be lucky if she saw them at all that day.

Logs were set ablaze in the fireplace—water was put into the large cauldron they used to make their soups and stews. She had baked bread the other day, which would be a time-saver because she wouldn't have to make anymore. Devin tossed in venison and vegetables into the cauldron and stirred the boiling water like she usually did. A boar that had been slaughtered not too long ago was put on a pole over the fire; men, for some reason, liked a lot of meat. She did plan on eating some of what she made, but fruit was more to Devin's liking. Thither was some of that in the home, too. She always made sure thither was some for her morning meal and midday meal. Meat was something she only ate during supper.

Devin had invited the Guards over that day, which was why she was making such a large meal for a family of three. They would bring over Liliane and her children, along with the orphan Lukos. Then perhaps her home wouldn't seem so empty…

The door to her home opened and closed. She didn't stop in her woman-of-the-household duties just for this—whoever it was could speak to her without her having to stay still. The table needed to be scrubbed, chairs would have to find their places for the guests, the dishes would need to be placed, the stew would need to be stirred, the boar would need to be turned to avoid burning, Teana would need to be taken care of…

She was forced to stop moving as two strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist. Devin knew those arms very well. They were the arms that had often held her in the past during the nights when she was alone with the love of her life, even before they were husband and wife. They had held their son when he was just a babe, and had provided hugs of comfort as Kaleb grew up. They were the arms of a warrior and the arms of a lover and the arms of a father. But they seemed to be forgetting about who they had held for so many nights…Until this moment.

"…Whither is Kaleb?" Devin asked as the arms released her.

"He is with his cousins," Wanderer replied. "It seems they succeeded in bringing Lukos back without Aslar or Xenia being slain."

"I know. I went to see Liliane," Devin murmured. "I assume the hunt was bad."

"We came back early when one of the villagers told me some very disturbing news about you and what you were doing," Wanderer told her.

Devin froze in her work upon hearing that interesting little bit. Someone had recognized her amongst the hundreds of people and went to Wanderer to say what she had tried to do. That possibility had never crossed her mind. She had been too preoccupied with thoughts of her depression that she had forgotten how well-known her face was. Now what would happen? How was Wanderer going to react to this?

"…Devin…Why did you go to the Shrine like everyone else in this village? Did you want to die again? Why, Devin? Why?" That was all the brown-haired man could ask because his mouth was incapable of forming any other word.

She didn't want to answer him, to let him know how ill-treated she felt and what a failure of a wife she had been. But he was her husband and therefore deserved an honest answer. He had risked everything to bring her back from the spirit realms. The least he deserved was to know why his wife was willing to face death.

"…I have failed you, Wanderer. A wife is supposed to have multiple children, yet so far I have only been able to give you one son. I lead a tedious life; I have done nothing important in this world, and I am not built for fighting or hunting. Of the two of us, Liliane has inherited the family's abilities. I have nothing. You hardly spend any time in the home with me. Kaleb is following in your footsteps. I am left alone hither, tending to the ever-present duties of a woman. And I have let you down, Wanderer. That is why I went to see if my sister would find me as unworthy of life as I myself feel…So that I could become a hero and my name would be remembered…And you would see me again," she whispered without looking at him.

Thither was only silence for a few moments. Devin kept her back to Wanderer, so she couldn't see what he was thinking. She just continued her daily routine, scrubbing the somewhat dirty table clean with a damp cloth as she fought the tears streaming down her face. She had never wanted to reveal her heart's true feelings to the man she had fallen in love with more than a decade ago, to let him know how she truly felt. But now it had been said, and she just felt completely and utterly awful.

Wanderer grabbed her and forced her to look at him. His own blue eyes were full of tears, and every now and then a tear would escape down his face. Why was he crying? It wasn't like his world was falling apart around him.

"…I had no idea you felt this way, Devin. I am sorry," Wanderer apologized.

"It isn't you who should be apologizing, Wanderer. I am the failure," Devin murmured.

"No. You are no failure. Devin, you are perfect. You have always been. It is I who has blundered and been a failure to you. I should be around you more often and not leave you alone to work all day. And I should teach Kaleb to do the same. And do not worry if you never have another child. If he is the only one we ever have, I will still love you the same. Kaleb is just like you. I could not ask for more," Wanderer stated.

"…Do you really think so?" Devin asked shyly.

"If I did not, would I have slain the colossi and allowed myself to be controlled by evil just to bring you back from the dead?" Wanderer countered with a smile.

"No…I suppose not."

Wanderer leaned in and kissed Devin passionately on the lips. Even though she was still a little doubtful of him, she couldn't help but return the gesture with just as much fire. She missed the nights when they would sneak out of the village to spend time together and he would kiss her like this…Those nights seemed like a very distant memory that was more like a dream than real life. Whither had all the time gone?

"I want you to know that I love you with all of my heart, Devin, no matter what."

"…I love you, too, Wanderer."

* * *

Liliza had slipped away from the others and led Aslar away from the Shrine. He had been separated from his colossus daughter for too long; she was worried sick about him and convinced that he had been killed by Lukos. Not even his constant mental messages could change her mind about that. Only seeing would make her believe. He was reluctant to leave Liliane, but for Xenia, he was willing.

They found the elephant girl with Faelin and Winphol, who were sitting on the edge of a mountain near the village. The bear colossus was lacking his stone club, but it wasn't like he needed it at the moment. He held Faelin in his arms lovingly while she tried to comfort the much smaller Xenia, to assure her that Aslar was still very much alive. They all looked up when they heard his heavy footsteps and felt the earth tremble. Xenia's sad blue eyes lit up brighter than the sun when she saw her father—she couldn't stop herself from jumping off the mountainside and running to him. Liliza had to quickly move out of the way to avoid being trampled to death. The resulting shockwaves from Xenia hugging her father were enough to knock the villagers off their feet, and they were miles away.

"_Father! I was so worried! I thought you were dead!" _Xenia cried, hugging Aslar's leg tightly despite her mismatched arms. _"How did you get away unscathed?"_

"_Trust me, Xenia. I was far from unscathed. Kasara forced that boy to sever the vital in my hand. Had not Jasel come along, I would truly be dead. She made Lukos come to his senses and he was able to overcome the spell. His mother has no control over him now; we are safe for the time being,"_ Aslar replied.

"_He got your hand?"_ Xenia exclaimed. She prodded it with her long arm, trying to see any sign of injury.

Aslar laughed. _"Liliane healed the wound already. I feel no severe pain."_

"_But what of the sword? Does Kasara still have it in her possession?" _Faelin asked.

"_I know not what became of the sword. All I know is that Lukos dropped it before retaliating against Kasara's attempt to kill Jasel," _Aslar told her.

"_She may not be able to use magic against people anymore, but she could easily pay someone to do her dirty work for her. The human magicians are so easily manipulated nowadays,"_ Winphol remarked.

Liliza slipped away from this, too. They didn't notice her; they were engaged in their own conversations about what Kasara might be planning. She disappeared behind the mountain just out of sight of the other colossi. Coldheart was waiting for her, his blue eyes containing just a hint of curiosity. When she had requested that he come for her thither, she had not told him why. He would soon find out.

She climbed onto his back and asked that he get them a safe distance from the village and the colossi. He did so without questioning her motives. During his time with the humans, he had learned that all things would be revealed in time and that one needed to be patient. This looked to be one of those times. So he ran as fast as his legs could go, being much faster than Aslar had ever been and rivaling the speed of his father. That was what his kind of colossi were built for—running.

He stopped at the edge of a cliff whither a waterfall dropped off, figuring that this was a safe place for whatever Liliza was planning. She seemed to think the same thing, for she dismounted Coldheart. From the sleeve of her dark gown, she pulled out something that was hated among all of his kind…The very thing that Faelin had asked about.

The hellish blue blade that was death to colossi.

"_Why do you have that?" _Coldheart inquired, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

"…Mother is too busy and needs all of her energy for the spell that is to be the end of Kasara. She doesn't have time or energy to spare in order to rid the colossi of the only thing that keeps them from being the immortals they were meant to be. In her place, I will perform the spell myself," Liliza told him calmly. "…This spell will drain my energy completely. I may not even survive it. But if Lukos's visions are anything to go by, I'm not going to die any time soon. I am willing to risk my life in order to save yours from any future threat. You will have to take me back home after this is done. Will you do that for me, Coldheart?"

"_...Of course, Liliza. Of course," _Coldheart said.

"Thank you."

Liliza held the accursed blade in both of her hands and began to murmur some ancient human tongue that Coldheart had never heard. Every word came fluently, as if she had known the language her entire life. In reality, she knew very little. The words of power were coursing through her veins—she felt the energy of all of her ancestors coming into her to complete this one task that defied the gods' creation. The sword had been made by the gods to protect the humans from a rogue colossus if one ever went against them. Now it was being destroyed by the very people it was meant to protect.

The blade glowed white in her hands. It felt very hot to the touch, and the light was nearly blinding; even Coldheart was forced to look away. It faded away into nothing, disappearing from her hand like sand in a gust of wind. Nothing remained of the only weapon in the world that could kill the first speaking creations of the gods. She had completed the task of keeping them safe from harm.

She smiled before collapsing to the ground. Luckily, she hadn't been standing right on the edge of the cliff, or else she would have taking a painful plunge into the waters below. Coldheart managed to get his head under her in a way that if he moved, she would end up on his back. Carrying her home after she had truly made him immortal was the least he could do. She was truly a compassionate girl…

And her heart was still beating, so she hadn't been killed by her spell.

She still had a little over nine years left.

* * *

_A/N: End of chapter. We're coming close to the end. I don't know; this might actually be longer than its prequel. What did you think? Please tell me. Thank you for reading._


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Sorry for taking so long. And thanks for the hits, everyone. Here's another chapter. Feel free to review it, regardless of who you are. Please read on._

* * *

Chapter 13

I had succeeded in finding them, and not a moment too soon.

It was the night right before the third day and I had selected two of my villagers to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the Forbidden Lands. One was a lonely woman in her early twenties who was what I had been at a younger age—an outcast. She was in perfect health and hadn't touched the lives of too many people. All of her family was gone, too. The other was a young man who had made a nuisance of himself so much that he was very much despised by his fellow villagers. He, too, was in perfect health and had no family. They would do very well, so I told them to report back to the Shrine of Idols by sunrise the next morning.

Everything else was taken care of. Everything that I had left undone before had been accomplished. The village would be stable when tomorrow came to an end and would remain so even after I disappeared forever. Mahado was ready to raise my daughters—my oldest daughters would grieve me, but they too would be ready for my departure whether they were aware of it or not.

This would be my last night on the planet.

I rode home with only Mahado, for the other guards had turned in for dinner long ago. Mahado would never leave me, especially when he knew my time was short. He was still shaken by the knowledge he and he alone possessed about my future, and I could not blame him or take away any feelings that he must have been experiencing. Of all my Guards, he was the most loyal and my closest friend besides Wanderer. Leaving him would be difficult even up to the last breath of life I took.

Night had set in moon motions ago; I wasn't surprised to come home and find that the children were already asleep and the Guards had already assumed their watch. Dinner was cold, but a little whispered word and it was eatable. Mahado and I ate in silence, too afraid to say what we were thinking and very reluctant to say goodbye. Then when we were done, we went our separate ways. He went outside to stand guard and I went to my bedroom.

Teana's crib had been moved into her sister's room the previous night, so I could do anything without fearing that I might wake her. Tears fell freely from my eyes as I thought of my children and how I would never see them after tomorrow…That I would never see them grow up. All mothers wish to witness the adults their children turn into in order to judge if they raised them right. That wasn't the case for me—my parents had both died of a sickness when Devin and I were young. It seemed the same would be true for my children. Perhaps it was a curse of my blood…Anyone born from my lineage was destined to die before their children. Thither was no telling.

I had left gifts for my children for when I was gone. Pieces of my legacy, if you will. For Liliza, I left the family scrolls of all the spells we had ever done along with an amulet that I had placed some of my magic in over the course of a few years in preparation for when the time came for me to die. For Jasel, I left my sword and bow…The ones I had carried ever since Wanderer taught me to fight and defend…And another amulet in preparation for anything that went awry after my death. For little Teana, who I didn't know well enough to understand what path she would follow, I left a scroll that explained everything about her parents and her mother's husband so that she would know everything that had happened before she was born. She would have had an amulet as well if I had had the slightest incline that I would have had another child so soon before death. They weren't the best things in the world to give your children, but they were all I had.

I collapsed upon my bed and wept into my pillow, unaware that I wasn't as alone as I thought. The whole reality of my decision was falling on me now that the time was almost hither, and it kept the tears falling. A great sadness had welled up inside of me over the course of the year, but I had refused to give into it. Now thither was nothing stopping it from attacking me full force.

Then I felt someone touching my shoulder gently and wondered who was thither. If it had been Kasara, she would have killed me already. It was someone that intended no harm to me. I sat up and turned to face them.

And I received the greatest shock of my life…Well, that was what I thought at the time.

It was Aslar…But he was in human form. How was that possible? I had not made him so. None of the villagers had the magical strength to change him, either. And colossi wouldn't change their own kind into humans…They didn't have that kind of power. So how the hell did was he human and sitting on my bed beside me? What kind of trickery was responsible for this?

"Liliane, are you all right?" Aslar asked, concern in his beautiful blue eyes.

Unable to speak, I just shook my head. His arms wrapped around me, and without me being completely aware of it, he brought a small amount of comfort. I worried that he might have heard my thoughts about leaving my children, but then I recalled my mental barrier was up in case Kasara tried anything the night before her deadline.

"Please tell me what plagues you," Aslar pleaded.

"…I know not what will happen tomorrow, Aslar. I fear Kasara's plans, and I fear for the two that will give up their lives for the sake of the Forbidden Lands. This spell I will do…Thither is no telling if it will cause them pain or not. I do not like taking innocent lives," I told him, my voice shaking.

"I understand, Liliane. But their lives will not be taken for ill causes. Their deaths will bring peace back to these lands, and we will be free. Fear not Kasara, for she will fail no matter what trick she tries to pull. No one can defeat you. You are the greatest spellcaster to exist in over a thousand years. If she defeats you, I will eat my stone sword," Aslar stated in a slightly teasing manner.

A small laugh managed to come from me. Aslar eating his stone sword…That would be very painful on his part.

"Tell me…How is it that you are human?" I inquired.

"Your daughter, Liliza, offered to put me in this form since she knows how I feel about you. I refused, but she would hear none of it," Aslar replied. "It's almost as if she knows something I don't about you."

Was it possible that Liliza already knew that I wouldn't be alive by tomorrow's end? She had become a powerful spellcaster…But was she that powerful? If she had that knowledge, then why wasn't she trying to stop me? Perhaps…Perhaps she knew thither was no other way. Liliza wasn't one to meddle with destiny. That must be it.

"She destroyed the blue sword that stopped our kind from being immortal," Aslar said.

"You can't really destroy it, Aslar. It was a creation of the gods. It might be gone in this world, but it will be in another world with no purpose," I remarked.

_(At that time, the colossus-killing sword fell into the sewers of Haven City, hitting an orange Ottsel right on the head. It knocked the Ottsel off of a taller blonde's shoulder and made him unconscious. The man that was blonde with long ears picked the weapon up, along with his fallen friend, and wondered how the hell that sword had come to be in a time where it would be so outdated. Curious, he put it away, planning on showing it to Samos later...If he ever saw the Green Sage again, that was.)_

"Well, that sword will never be a problem to us, regardless of whither it is now," Aslar claimed.

I smiled. "Let us hope not." A pause, and then, "Aslar, why have you come to me?"

Aslar hesitated a moment. "…I have a bad feeling about tomorrow. I feel as if this will be the last time I'll see you. And thither is something I must admit to you, Liliane. This colossus that is holding you…He is much older than you'll ever be and he was not created to love anyone besides the mate that the gods intended for him. But…He was foolish enough to fall in love with a tender human woman. And he wishes to love her, even if it is for the last time."

My heart skipped a beat. Did everyone have that feeling that I wasn't going to live past tomorrow? Had I not hidden that as well as I thought? In the words of modern-day humans, what the hell?

"You…You want to do that…Right now?"

Aslar nodded once. "But only if you are willing."

He leaned forward and kissed me passionately on the lips. It never failed to amaze me how a creature that had been made of the earth could kiss like that. I felt the same feelings for him that he felt for me, so it was only human that I would return the embrace. It was nothing like the first time whither our hearts had been in pieces because Kasara had slain our loved ones. This time, we weren't being foolish out of grief. We were being foolish out of pure love.

And it was my last time…My last chance.

* * *

It started at dawn.

Kasara appeared above the village and above the magical barrier that the weaker magicians kept going for extra protection. She was garbed in white robes, for in her deluded mind, she was doing good for the entire world. Storm clouds rolled in with her presence; lightning and thunder made themselves known, though no rain fell just yet.

All of the remaining colossi gathered in the center of the village, along with the two people I had selected to steal the energy from. The villagers were not too far from the center, but they knew better than to get in the way. A battle of magic would now begin.

I glanced around at the colossi that towered over me. Faelin, Winphol, Erriffite, Tremyrin, ZZ, Melanine, Nymphine, Mistclaw, Windwhisper, Coldheart, Xenia…And in the sky flew Freelancer and Gryffindor. They were close to Kasara but not close enough that they could do damage to one another. Aslar was with the Guards and my family, out of danger. The only humans that stood with me were the sacrifices. I wondered if it was wise to have the colossi near the area of danger, but once I began the spell, I would be unable to protect myself or my sacrifices. They were the only creatures that couldn't die anymore. Only they could keep us safe.

"Lower the barrier," I ordered the magicians.

Thither was a flicker above us that indicated the spellcasters had released their magic. Kasara smirked evilly, and her lips moved without sound. She mouthed, "Finally facing me like a woman instead of a freak. Very well."

Then she spoke.

"This day will be the end of this unholy civilization! Even the colossi will fall to my magic, for I have a way of destroying you all with just a flick of my wrist! Prepare to die for daring to follow the Freak!" she boomed.

She began to channel the lightning that was striking around her, muttering some sort of incantation under her breath. The energy she possessed was visible around her—it was almost unnerving. I needed to act fast, or else the entire Forbidden Lands would be destroyed by whatever spell she was casting. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let my people fall to this bully.

I joined hands with the two people that would give me their energy and began to murmur my own spell. The words flowed through me and I spoke faster than I had ever done before. Still, Kasara had the head start. She finished one of her attack spells and sent a bolt of lightning down at the homes of some of the villagers. Those villagers were standing right outside of their homes, too. Gryffindor acted quickly and knocked those villagers out of the way just seconds before their homes were sent up in flames. Tremyrin and ZZ separated from the center to go protect the other villagers in case Kasara did something like that again.

The woman who was offering her energy began to scream, and the man wasn't too far off. It was just as I feared. The spell was hurting them. Through our connection that was due to them giving me their strength, I sent them a mental apology. But through their pain, they both told me they were willing to face this pain if it meant that the village would be saved from the witch. Tears fell from my eyes from my eyes upon hearing those words, but I hadn't time to focus on them. I had to save the village.

Something welled up inside of me that was somewhat familiar. This had happened once before, when Dormin had been connected to Jaccen, Devin, a baby Wanderer, and myself. The colossi had been dead then, and Emon in his foolishness had resealed the lands and bound Dormin to us so that They could not be free. It was then that the spirits of the dead colossi and the gods granted me the power to destroy Dormin, restore Wanderer, and unseal the lands. With my own power to boot, it was a Triforce that did everything that we wished for it to do…And a little more. What I feeling now was just like then. I began to feel the same weightlessness I had felt back then, as if nothing existed, not even me. (_Inside the Fire_ Chapter 14.)

A white aura surrounded the sacrifices and me, as it had when the Triforce of Power had occurred over nine years ago. I could imagine that my eyes were now pure white and my hair was blowing violently around me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the glow on us, but I continued to chant the spell without distracting myself.

Several of her lightning-propelled attacks had set the village ablaze while I was busy casting my own spell. A few people had been injured by the colossi's attempts to keep them safe, but so far no one had died. Kasara was getting pissed very fast, so she began to charge up her largest attack. The electrical power of her attack could be felt for miles. This next blow would surely be the end of us all.

Just before she could deliver that blow, I finished my spell. I released the hands of the two people who had given their lives for the Forbidden Lands, and they fell lightly to the ground, lifeless. I aimed my palms up at her and charged my own attack of pure light. The beam hit her directly—she didn't even have time to scream. As soon as the light hit her, she was burned into nothingness. She didn't disappear like the sword had done—she just plain died. The lightning she had been manipulating was about to go out in random directions and possibly cause harm, but the light caught it all and made it harmless. At the same time, the light restored the village to its glamour before the lightning had set it ablaze and healed anyone that had been harmed.

The power left me. I had used up all of our energy.

With a smile, I collapsed to the ground beside the other two bodies. We were the only three casualties from that battle with Kasara.

We had been the only ones unworthy of life in that entire village.

* * *

My spirit stood off in the distance, watching what unfolded next. The rain had chosen that moment to start falling, drenching everyone that remained standing outside. That was everyone; it seemed they didn't care about catching cold. I had been wearing a white garb when I had died, and now I was regretting it even though I was dead. White and water don't mix well.

Aslar ran over to me, no longer afraid to admit his feelings towards me to everyone even though I was dead. His blue eyes were full of tears as he cradled my dead body to his chest. I heard him call my name and wanted so badly to reply, but was unable to because I was dead. Wanderer was thither, as well as everyone else that had been a part of my family and my household. He was crying, too, and his eyes looked demanding. Devin was weeping into his shoulder. Kaleb was crying into her skirt. Jasel was on her knees as tears escaped her eyes, and Lukos, who was weeping as well, was beside her, holding her in his arms. Liliza stood thither, crying silently as she looked at my body. The Guards were even weeping themselves; that was how close we had been.

And they all wanted to know one thing…

Why hadn't I told them the spell would kill me?

The gods were calling my name. It was time for me to go into heaven. I glanced at the people who stood over my body one last time, hoping they would move on soon. I was surprised to make eye contact with Mahado. No one should have been able to see a spirit. But Egyptians were religious people, so perhaps they had keener eyes than the rest of the people thither. He nodded once in my direction to assure me that everything would be all right now, and I gave him a small smile.

And then I floated up into heaven.

I was confronted by the gods that I had worshipped for many years. Their beauty was greater than I could have ever imagined. Why they had brought me before them I did not know, but I hoped whatever the reason was, they would allow me to see Jaccen, my parents, and Lionheart again.

The goddess of the hearth spoke.

"**Liliane, we have a proposal to make to you for the good deeds you have completed in our name. Not only have you rid us of that miserable Dormin, but you have kept our first creations from being destroyed by evil mortals that know not what we desire. You gave up your life to save the village. We find that you are worthy of becoming a goddess."**

Those words shocked me. I had never thought it possible that gods were chosen by such means. But I could never turn them down.

"As long as I can see my loved ones, I would like nothing better than to serve alongside you," I said humbly, bowing respectfully to them.

The god of all gods spoke this time.

"**You need not worship us any longer, Liliane. You are now one of us, and now it is your turn to be worshipped. You will be the goddess of magic and wisdom and unity, much like Isis but different. And you need not ask to see anyone. That is something you can do whenever you please. We have no power over you."**

The goddess of all goddesses spoke.

"**But do not become power-hungry like Dor and Min were, or else we will be forced to banish you in the same means that we banished them."**

I spoke.

"**I promise to only use my powers for good. Gods are not meant to be evil, so therefore I will never be evil. I exist only to make life easier for those who worship us and to place justice unto those who commit evil. Shall I begin with Emon?"**

The hawk-headed god of Egypt spoke in response.

"**Yes. That impersonator of a priest must be dealt with before he gives birth to another evil as strong as Kasara. Go to him, Liliane. Go to him and send his soul to the Underworld."**

And so I did. I appeared in the main shrine of my old village, whither the old man who knew nothing about true religious acts was praying falsely to the gods. He saw me and screamed, startled to see the woman he had sealed away over nine years ago. I was now garbed in the same robes as the other goddesses and my presence was almighty. He was brought to his knees. He begged to be spared, but I told him simply that he was too evil to live any longer. With a snap of my fingers, Emon fell to the ground, dead. His other priests that had been thither stumbled backwards, begging for mercy. And I told them that they would be spared if they reconciled for their sins and never acted in Emon's name again. Then I returned to the heavens and embraced Jaccen, my parents, and Lionheart, who was in heaven in the form smaller than he had been on Earth.

One could get used to life like this.

* * *

_A/N: It's finally over! Not really...There will be one more chapter. Dor was the man voice of the deity and Min was the female; when they were banished, they became one. Well, that's what happened in this story, anyway. And that one scene with where the sword ended up was inspired by __**Jak 2**__. What did you think? Please tell me. Thank you for reading and sticking with me._


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: This is the last chapter of this story. I know not if I shall make a story after this one; that will be for you, the readers, to decide. I want to thank you all for reading this, even if you didn't review. You were what made this possible. Thank you so much. Please read on this last time._

* * *

Chapter 14

My mother had died, making the greatest sacrifice for the Forbidden Lands in the end. She took out her worst enemy and protected her people, all the while knowing that she was doomed to leave the face of the earth once her spell was completed. If she had failed …If that last powerful attack from Kasara had struck…We would all have died, regardless of what we were. Human, colossus, horse…It wouldn't have mattered.

But Liliane succeeded…And now we are free.

I look upon her body now being cradled by the colossi-turned-human Aslar and I am crying tears of sorrow. But I cannot imagine that she is sad to have gone. She had known for a long time that she was going to die during her confrontation with Kasara…Her sadness about leaving us would have been gone by this day. Though I know this, I think she regretted not being able to live to see who we, her daughters, grew up to be. Still, I will not condemn her for leaving us in the dark. It was for the better. If we had known, we would have tried everything in our power to stop her. She was a strong woman and she will forever have a place in my heart and her teachings will lead me down the path of life she would have wanted for me.

She is carried to the same place that she buried our father by the colossus who had fallen in love with her and stole her from underneath his nose. I will not blame Aslar…Liliane was a remarkable woman with many admirers. Her Egyptian Guards bring forth a sarcophagus that their people had made for their great leader in case she ever passed. We do not have her mummified, but that will do for her final resting place. Very gingerly, Aslar lays her in the golden tomb and closes it—I see him caress her face one last time before he closes the lid. Then he and the Guards dig her grave next to Jaccen's. The other two people that died this day would be buried later in a similar fashion since they, outcasts and hated by the village, had given up their lives to save it. They were heroes and would be treated as such even if they were dead.

Despite the time and the rain, no one moves to seek cover or return to the normal routines.

When the leader dies, it is not a normal day where you go on with your lives.

Today is a day of mourning.

While she is being placed in the ground, the priests and priestesses who had worshipped alongside her in the Shrine of Idols chant prayers to guide her soul to rest and help her reach heaven. I believe they are a little late—spirits do not wait for priests to dismiss them to the paradise above. They only need to hear the gods' calling and then they are gone. Still, I say nothing as they continue their prayers. They cover her sarcophagus with dirt, or rather mud, as it is now.

One of the magicians who had been keeping the magical barrier up steps forward and magically creates a stone above her final resting place so that everyone will know who lay thither in the ground. It is identical to the one Liliane created for our father.

Mahado clears his throat. He is the leader of the Guards of Teana, who decided to stand guard over my mother when she was alive after his adopted daughter was slain by the witch who is now dead. It appears he knows something and wishes to speak.

"…This is a hard day in the lives of us all. We knew that she would face Kasara eventually and that two of us would need to die in order to rid the evil that witch brought from our lands for good. We knew that death was coming. But you did not know that the spell our great leader, High Priestess Liliane, would cost her life," he says with a slightly choked voice; it is obvious that he is crying just like the rest of us. "Unfortunately, she bestowed this knowledge upon me a few nights ago. She told me…that she wanted me to be prepared for her passing so that I could raise her daughters. Liliza…Jasel…and little Teana, who has only known her mother for a few days. I was bound by word to keep this knowledge from you all, even those that I worked beside for so long. I apologize for this. But even though I knew what would happen…Nothing could prepare me for her death. Nothing.

"Her final wishes were this. She…She wanted for Wanderer to take her place as leader of the village and for her daughter…Liliza, to take her place in the Shrine. She also wanted for us to mourn little…To return to our lives and move on soon after her passing. That will be the most difficult thing for us to do. Liliane holds a special place in all of our hearts that no one else will take over. But unless…Unless we wish to join her in the afterlife, it is best to recover. We may grief now…But in time, we shall be stronger because of her great sacrifice."

He fell silent then, and I feel not anger but pity towards him. I would not be angry at him for knowing what fate would befall my mother. But he was a warrior shattered by the loss of his leader and had now been forced to let her wishes be known to the whole village even though his heart was in pieces once again. And he would have to raise us all after this…The poor man…

When all of the heroes of that day had been buried, we depart and return to our homes. My uncle begins his duty as leader and I will begin my duty as the high priestess in time. Today I do not feel like attending to my duties; I am the youngest among those who worship the gods…And I have just lost my mother. The other priests understand and let me return home, completing their daily rituals without me.

Jasel is still crying and Lukos is trying his best to ease her tears. Both of our parents are dead now. He knows our pain because he lost his father and his mother the evil Kasara was lost to him long ago. He is so grown up already, perhaps more so than myself…I believe he will be strong in the future and will be able to take care of Jasel when the time comes that I will no longer be around. I catch his eyes which are also dampened with tears and I see that he understands my thinking even though our minds are in no way connected. We know each other a lot through magic, but I will never share the connection Jasel has with him. He quickly turns away from me and rests his head on top of hers, saying not a word while she cries into his shirt.

Mahado, the most loyal Guard my mother had, is standing in my mother's bedroom. Teana is not with him—I had seen him give her over to the woman who would be her nurse earlier and that woman was in the room I shared with Jasel and Lukos. He is looking at the place whither Liliane slept for so long, and I cannot imagine what he is thinking about at that moment. I dare not tap into his mind, for that would be rude and he has been through enough recently. The other Guards are not far away. Even though the threat is gone, they still stand guard over the hut we call home. Aslar is no whither near; he did not leave Liliane's grave when the rest of us did.

"Her life was too short," I say after some time, startling the Egyptian. My voice is shaking slightly and I know thither are tears still in my eyes. "…It was a heavy burden for you to carry such knowledge on your shoulders. I cannot imagine what pain you must have gone through when she told you about the spell…But I thank you for keeping it from the rest of us. If I had known what she was planning…I might have taken her place."

"Liliza! Please don't speak like that! Your life has only just begun!" Mahado states.

"Yes, but compared to her, my life is meaningless. So many people loved her…And then she died for us all when we needed her the most…," I murmur and refuse to make eye contact with him. "I have always been an outcast, Mahado…I look nothing like my sisters or my parents…It would have been better if I were the one to die today. Then Jasel and Teana would still have their mother and the village would still have their leader and the priests would still have their high priestess and you would still have your closest friend."

I said that last part very quickly, for that is what I do when I am worked up over something.

"Calm yourself, Liliza! You are only saying these things because you are grieving. Your mother believed our lives were much more important than her own. That is why she was willing to die for the village. You may look nothing like her or the rest of your family, but even I can see that you are just like Liliane in spirit. That is more important than anything that can be seen on the outside. In spirit, you and Liliane are one. Her legacy will live on through you," Mahado claims.

I don't believe him, but I don't want to hurt his feelings. He is our guardian now, the only person left who can raise us into the adults we are meant to become. He speaks the truth about my grieving—that might be why I was saying all these things at this moment. Before I know it, he wraps me in his arms and embraces me, whispering that it is all right for me to miss her and that soon we will remember her not with tears, but with smiles from memories of the good times.

This is true for anyone who dies. We soon lose our grief and remember them with happiness. It was true for Jaccen and Richard. It will be true again.

"…Mahado, why are you hither in my parents' room?" I ask suddenly.

"…This was whither she asked me if she could name your sister after my daughter," Mahado explains. "And for the longest time, this place has been only hers…I am remembering her and all the conversations we had in this room because it is purely Liliane. I sound like a lovesick boy…But I never felt that way about your mother. We were nothing more than close friends…I was closer to her than any of the other Guards. Atem, Shadi, Seth, Shimon, and Odion know not what I feel though they grieve all the same. Everything Liliane and I ever shared is coming back to haunt me…Including that accursed night when she revealed it all to me…That was one of the worst nights of my life, Liliza. Even with her warning, I was as unprepared for her death…as I was…for Teana's…"

I feel pity for the older man. He has no family…He lost the girl he raised as his own flesh and blood…And now he has lost his friend. It must be hard to live like that…Especially since he is raising his friend's children in her place…His heart must be in so many pieces.

"…I am so sorry for your pain," I whisper as I weep.

"Do not fret over my pain, dear Liliza. It is me that should worry about you," Mahado says. "I am old and used to this kind of loss. You, on the other hand, are just a child. You should concern yourself with your own well-being…All right?"

"You are not old. You are barely thirty," I remark.

At this, Mahado laughs. "In this time and for the human race, that is old."

"I will never think you are old until your hair whitens and you are no longer so muscular," I tell him. With a small smile, I add, "Thank you for caring so much about us."

He smiles. "We all care about you, Liliza. You and your family."

"In turn, I care about you."

* * *

When night falls, I slip out of the home without the Guards noticing. Mahado checks into our room every now and then to see if we are sleeping all right; I have become used to his pattern. Jasel, Lukos, Teana, and her nurse are fast asleep and he thought the same of me. He will not be in thither again for another thirty minutes in your modern time. I must be quick about this if I do not wish to be caught.

Coldheart is waiting for me just out of sight of my home. I sent him no message asking for him to meet me hither, but somehow he knew what I wanted to do. It is almost like we are connected like my mother was to Aslar. But it is not the same; we cannot hear each other's thoughts and feel each other's emotions like they were able to. Perhaps it is nothing more than a feeling that drives us to the same place. Who but the gods is to know?

I climb upon his back and he puts a great distance between us and the village to separate me from the place whither my mother sacrificed herself. Even at his speed, I can see Freelancer and Gryffindor flying around in the night sky. The other colossi are sleeping around the outside of the village, unwilling to leave the humans during their time of mourning. They are all grieving alongside us—they knew Liliane before most of the people in the village had except for the first four that had been slain by Wanderer who had not met her until after she brought them back. I recall seeing tears in most of their blue eyes when she was being laid to rest. Even the children colossi are thither. We disturb them not as we make our way past them.

He comes to a stop when we come to the side of a cliff with a fantastic view below. The moon lightens the scene as I slide from his back. I sit myself on the edge with my legs folded under me, and Coldheart sits himself beside me with nothing but concern in his beautiful eyes that were once crimson but haven't been so in a very long time.

"_...Do you miss her?" _the wolf colossus asks after a few moments of silence passes between us.

I nod. "She bestowed so much to me…And our lives are so much alike. She was an outcast, and I am an outcast. She excelled in the black arts, and so far I have done the same. Her parents died when she was young, and the same fate has befallen me. We were so close…And now she is in heaven. I will forever miss her…But my life must go on for however long I have left to live." I turn to look at him. "What of you, Coldheart? Do you miss my mother? You hated her so much in the past."

If he could have, Coldheart would have blushed. But stone is incapable of changing colors, so his eyes are my only indication to his embarrassment.

"_I do indeed miss her, for she gave up everything to save the colossi and humans. I haven't hated her for a very long time, and I will never hate her again. I regret wanting her dead a year ago...Now I wish she hadn't died," _Coldheart states.

"Thither are many people we wish were alive, aren't thither?" I inquire though I know the answer. "My father, Richard, Lionheart, Sleneyn…They and many other people deserved not to die for their lives were only half-complete, if that. Tell me…How are your siblings? I know your father has been dead for some time now…But the pain…Does it pass quickly for your kind?"

"_...If anything, the pain passes slowly, and that be due to the fact that we are supposed to be immortal creatures and we're unaccustomed to death. Our mother, Melanine, is still in so much misery that she cannot even go to the place whither he dwelled when he was not with her without having an emotional breakdown. Mistclaw is gloomy, but she only cries every now and then when something reminds her of our father. I think that Windwhisper is in the worst condition of us children...He doesn't look at his reflection because of how much like our father he looks and we cannot mention Lionheart's real and human names in front of him without Wind breaking down. He might be so bad because he was thither when our father died...I don't know," _Coldheart admits.

"I am sorry…," I whisper, wrapping my arms around his neck in an attempt to hug a creature born of stone and earth. "Poor Wind…It is too bad I cannot do something to help you heal faster…Forgive me for not possessing all of my mother's power."

"_The gods would not allow for him to be brought back a second time, more than likely,"_ Coldheart points out.

"I still wish I could do something to ease the pain of the family of the one I love," I tell him.

His eyes flash, and had he been human, they would have been wide from shock. _"You...You love me? But...But you are a human, and you are only nine. You cannot love a colossus...And you are far too young to be falling in love."_

I smile up at him. "The boundaries of race did not stop Aslar and Liliane. Teana is proof of that. And a girl knows whom she is destined to be with even at a young age. You cannot tell me that you do not feel something for me…I have seen it often enough in your eyes. And when you hated humankind, I was the only human you would speak to and not hate, which is no coincidence. You love me, do you not?"

"_...Of course I do, but I do not think it is wise for us to try to have a relationship. Colossi have different morals than humans. While your kind get married when the girl is thirteen or somewhere around that age to a man much older, we do not. We must be close to the age of our mate or we shall not be with that colossus. I am a full four years older than you, and when I am human, I look six years older! See how that goes against my morals? Aslar did it with Liliane, it is true, but I cannot follow in his footsteps."_

"I understand. Perhaps when I am older, we can be together. But we must think of that later. We are still too young to think of marriage or coupling and mating. Thither is always tomorrow for things to transpire. Let us go back, Coldheart, before they notice we are gone."

I stand again and glance once more at the stars in the sky. Some say that if you connect the stars that are close together, you can see the faces of the gods and goddesses and the mythical creatures they have created that have disappeared over the years. I believe I see my mother's face amongst the stars, but a second glance and she is gone. Was it just my imagination, or was she really thither, and newborn goddess in the heavens above?

Coldheart runs away with me on his back faster than he ran to get thither, for we are short on time before Mahado makes his round again. The wind blowing through my hair seems to whisper my name with my mother's voice, reminding me that she is always thither with us even after death.

With every end, thither is a new beginning.

Thus is the continuing tale of the Shadow of the Colossus.

* * *

_A/N: THE END! As you can see, the point of view for first person has shifted to Liliza. If there is a sequel to this, she will be the one that is telling it all. But what did you think? Please tell me. Thank you for reading this story. You guys are the best!_

_And if you have ever lost someone and have felt like the characters in this chapter, I am sorry for your loss._


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